Why Flying Fish are Being Shocked by the Army Corp in Illinois
These fish really are trouble and the problems they cause are headed toward the Great Lakes. That's why the Army Corp of Engineers is quite literally trying to shock them out of the water.
As I've previously shared, invasive carp are a big problem in Illinois rivers. It's so bad that there are redneck fishing tournaments where baseball bats are used to try and eradicate these fish. This issue has gotten the attention of very popular YouTuber Tom Scott (with over 5.4 million subscribers) shared the following:
The Chicago and Sanitary Ship Canal is the path that invasive carp would take to reach the Great Lakes. So to stop them, the US Army Corps of Engineers has installed an electric barrier.
The invasive carp that have all but destroyed the ecosystem of Illinois rivers are headed toward the Great Lakes. They must be stopped. Now. Bring on the electricity.
As Tom pointed out in his video, the electrical barrier doesn't harm birds that feed on the fish. It's the equivalent of a bird standing on a power line and that's about it.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has an entire website dedicated to these evil fish. They provide more specifics on these electrical barriers:
Engineers had finished construction of a demonstration electric barrier near Romeoville, IL. In 2008 the Demonstration Barrier underwent repairs and the second, more powerful, electric barrier began construction not far downstream. Barrier IIA and IIB became live in 2009 and 2011. Another barrier was under construction in 2014.
The study about how these carp could do permanent damage to the Great Lakes is terrifying. Let's hope the shocking (no pun intended) attempt to stop these evil flying fish is successful.