By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
LANSING, MI –
Federal officials say they plan to spend close to $50 million next year to prevent Asian Carp from getting into the Great Lakes. Some of their plans include monitoring bait shops, designing new fish traps and nets, and securing 18 spots where Asian Carp could slip into the Great Lakes.
John Goss is the Asian Carp Czar for the Obama Administration.
"We are definitely working on a proactive strategy to protect the Great Lakes from Asian Carp," he says. "The Asian Carp control strategy framework is flexible, allowing for new action, new partners, and they will be added as appropriate."
None of the plans include closing the canals between the Mississippi River system and the Great Lakes.
State Attorney General Mike Cox says he plans to appeal the ruling from a federal judge that said the Obama Administration did not have to close the canals.