So far, scientists have studied one Asian carp captured beyond the electronic barriers on the Chicago waterways that are supposed to keep such fish out of the Great Lakes.
And surprise, surprise, the fish appears to have been living in Lake Calumet, just miles from the Big Lake, for most of its life.
The theories of how it got there include one that it was dumped there by a fisherman emptying his bait pail. That is because small Asian carp sometimes are netted and sold for bait.
This is heady stuff.
Five states have been filing legal suits to permanently shut down the shipping connection between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi. The cost of cutting off that shipping lane is in the billions and would further damage the Midwest economy.
I am all in favor of stopping invasive species getting into the Great Lakes, but so far our track record for blocking them has been not so good.
And now we are going to risk the loss of billions in trade, and then discover that the fishermen we are trying to protect are the source of the invasive species?
Perhaps we should first crack down on the bait business.