The artist notes: “In this painting I have used the cross-section diagram of the electric
barrier on the canal near Chicago. Once the Asian carp migrate past it,
they will have access to all the Great Lakes and rivers flowing into
them. This will devastate the commercial and sport fishing and upset the
lake ecosystems. When I perceive the watersheds that will be effected in
Canada it seemed suitable to have the idyllic fall scene of Canada Geese
float above them.
The reflections become an X to emphasis this problem and the
cross indicates our callus attitude of dominion rather than
stewardship."
Four species* of non-native, invasive Asian carp were recently introduced into the Mississippi River. Various control methods have been developed in addition to electrified canal water, seen here. They include poison (although inundation of Rotenone failed), temporary physical barriers (e.g., a 13-mile, $13.2 million, four to six feet high concrete and chain-link barrier between the waterways), a Sound-Bubble-Strobe (SBS) Light Barrier that uses high-frequency sound and LED lights to send the carp downstream, bioengineering, and harvesting (especially for the international market).
There is some evidence that eDNA shows Silver Carp present in Chicago’s waterways and possibly swimming into Lake Michigan. This invasive species, sadly, seems headed for icon status as a known harmful invader, whose northward invasion failed to trigger action sufficient to effectively confine it—in this case by permanently separating the Chicago waterway system.
*Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), and Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)
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