Activists ask Congress to protect lakes from carp

Scientists and environmentalists say the only sure way to keep Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes is to permanently separate them from the Mississippi River basin.

They told a congressional panel Tuesday in Washington that the Obama administration's $78.5 million strategy for blocking the carp's advance is a stopgap plan at best.

Michael Hansen, chairman of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, said the large, hungry carp probably could tolerate the lakes' cold temperatures and find plenty of plankton to eat.

He said the goal of any carp control program should be closing off man-made waterways linking the lakes and the Mississippi system.

Administration officials say the government strategy released Monday has a good chance of preventing carp from gaining a foothold in the lakes.