Asian carp DNA sought in Lake Erie water near Windsor

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources spent Thursday near Windsor, Ont.looking for evidencethat Asian carp live in Lake Erie.

Officials were gathering water samples that willbe analyzed for the presence of environmental DNA.

Brian Locke, fisheries assessment supervisor for Lake Erie for the MNR, said if Asian carp were present, they would leave DNA evidence in urine, feces and scales shed in the lake.

"We sample water to look for fish that have been there. Its relatively new," he said of the process. "Its started to become en vogue for species at risk and invasive species."

The environmental DNA program in Ontario started in 2012.

"We havent found a thing. We have no positive samples in our environmental DNA collections or any other regular programs," he said. "And, we havent seen any [Asian carp] come into the commercial fisheries."

However, researchers with the University of Notre Dame, Central Michigan University and The Nature Conservancy detected DNA from the invasive species in samples taken from Lake Erie in 2011.

Joe Rabino is the captain of fishing boat Liddle Lady, based in Wheatley. He hasn't caught any Asian carp.

"I havent seen any yet. But it raises concern because they get so big and they cause a lot of damage to our gear," he said. "Plus, theres no market for them; theres no value on them. If we do start seeing them, its going to be a nuisance."

Asian carpcould bemore than a nuisance, Locke said.

"They have the potential to impact the whole ecosystem," Locke said. "There is an economic effect, too."

He said the Lake Erie fishery alone is worth $25-$35 million a year.

"Were quite concerned," Locke said. "Weve seen other locations where its taken hold and its really come and dominated fish communities."

Several varieties of carp imported from Asia have migrated steadily northward in the Mississippi River and its tributaries since escaping from Southern fish farms and sewage treatment ponds in the 1970s.

The fish have since been spotted in more than two dozen states and have advanced to within 90 km of Lake Michigan in the Illinois River, which connects with a shipping canal and other waters that reach Lake Michigan.

None of the carp are known to have reached the lakes.

Locke said prevention is almost mandatory.

"Early detection is the key for any kind of control measure," he said.