The Midwest of the Untied States specifically the Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and Illinois River are fighting a pesky fish. The Asian Carp is a fish that has the potential to destroy the ecosystems of these areas. This fish is a veracious eater which can potentially eat up to 100x its body weight. These fish are starting to cripple areas of the Mississippi and Illinois river due to their monster like eating habits. These fish are not native to these areas as you can see from their names. They were brought to the United States to help keep aquaculture facilities clean and to provide as fish to fish markets. Unfortunately they escaped into the wild  and began their reign of terror. There are two types of Asian carp, the bighead and silver carp, and they average a weight of 30-40 pounds. But there has been a few river monsters reported that grow up to 100 pounds. The big problem that the people of the midwest are having right now is that the Asian Carp are encroaching into the Great Lake territory. The Great Lakes fishing industry brings in over $7 billion in revenue. The Asian Carp are already responsible for destroying some ecosystems in the Mississippi and Illinois river. Officials are doing what ever they can to keep the Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes so that they don't ruin that as well.

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There is a potential catastrophe that is bound to happen to in the Great Lakes and its vital ecosystem. The Great Lakes make up the largest fresh water ecosystem in the world and it must be protected. The main problem is that Asian Carp feed mainly on plankton and algae and have the ability to eat tremendous amounts of it. The Asian Carp eat substantial amounts of plankton and algae and don't leave enough for the native species of the ecosystem. The Asian Carp does not have many predators because it is so new to the ecosystem. Therefore their populations continue to rise.  When the Asian Carp eats all the plankton and algae that the native species have been eating it for centuries the ecosystem begins to crumble layer by layer. There are so many other species that need to eat the plankton and algae to survive and the Asian Carp are stealing their food source. If a single Asian Carp finds its way into a Great Lake their ecosystems can crumble in a matter of years.

I have read that their are many different entry points that the Asian Carp can use to enter into any of the 5 Great Lakes. The National Wildlife Federation is doing all they can to stop this potential catastrophe by setting up underwater electrical fences, hydrologic separation, and putting no limits on the number of fish caught. I believe that if these fish do find a way into any of the Great Lakes America is going to have a big problem on its hands. Due to the money and  I think that NWF and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers need to get all the help they can and find a way to prevent the Asian Carp from entering these vital lakes.

Sources:
"What We Do to Stop Asian Carp - National Wildlife Federation." What We Do to Stop Asian Carp - National Wildlife Federation. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Vroman, M. E. "Will Asian Carp Take over the Great Lakes?" Water and Society (2011): n. pag. Web.
"Asian Carp Response in the Midwest." The Problem. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.