CHICAGO, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. authorities say they have spent about $7 million building a barrier to keep Asian carp from getting into the Great Lakes during periods of flooding.
The 13-mile concrete and steel mesh fence splits a narrow divide between the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, the Chicago Tribune reported.
While the fence looks simple, state and federal officials said it and a similar one recently erected in Indiana are vital to the national effort to keep the invasive species out of the Great Lakes.
"This was absolutely critical," said John Rogner, assistant director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. "We knew that during high flood events that Asian carp, if they're in the river, could easily span the gap and get into the Sanitary and Ship Canal".
The Asian carp is a native of China with no known predators in the United States; it has overwhelmed native fish populations by out-competing them for food in a 30-year migration up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
UPI
