1. Asian Carp Case Study

2. The Asian Carp - An Exotic Species  Exotic species are living things that find a new home in a place where they did not exist before.  The Asian carp pose a large threat to the Great Lakes because of their size and ability to eat large amounts of food.  They can seriously damage the Great Lakes ecosystem, resulting in loss of organisms and biodiversity, destroying various food webs, and impacting economically on important fish species that people use for food. Asian CarpVideo Clip

3. Migration towards The Great Lakes  In the early 1990’s, the Asian carp escaped into the Mississippi River from a lab which studies about fish when the labs became flooded.  The Asian carp have made their way northward.  Currently, the carp have been found near the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal that connects the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes and have been sighted approximately 40 miles from Lake Michigan.

4. The Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal  It is over 100 years old.  It is a very important shipping link from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River.  Some barges use this canal to transport goods.

5. Your Role  Imagine that you work for the Chicago department of public works.  You have received many complaints from people about the possibility of the Asian carp coming through the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal, but you also have heard business officials discuss the importance of keeping the canal open for shipping.  Should you close down the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal to protect the Great Lakes from the Asian carp?

6. Your Task:  Slide 1: Title (The Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal Report) with names of the authors.  Slide 2: State your position! Should you close down the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal to protect the Great Lakes from the Asian carp? Justify why you should or why you should not close the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal.  Slide 3: What are some other possible solutions that could be used to stop the Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes?

7. Sentence Starters  Slide 2: I believe that we (should close down) or (should not close down) the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal to protect the Great Lakes from the Asian Carp because ______________.  Slide 3: Some other possible solutions that could be used to stop the Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes are ________________________.