A popular YouTuber who travels the globe to talk about interesting projects has turned his attention to the Great Lakes and the Asian carp. Tom Scott has more than five million subscribers on YouTube, and in his latest video, he pays a visit to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. With help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he shows off the system in place to keep the invasive Asian carp from making it into Lake Michigan from the Mississippi River.
“The Great Lakes of North American have a $7 billion fishing industry and a $16 billion recreational boating industry,” Scott said. “If those carp reach the lakes, it would be another ecological disaster.”
Scott was at the chokepoint of the shipping canals, where the Army Corps has electrified the water to stop the fish. Engineers noted the electrified water pushes the fish back or dazes them. Sometimes, birds will swoop in and take advantage of that. Scientists say if the Asian carp were to get into Lake Michigan, they would outeat native fish species, reducing their numbers and damaging the fishing industry. Scott’s video shows them jumping out of the water at the shipping canal, making them a hazard to boaters.
