Research Study
Biologists and engineers have combined their knowledge to conceive and construct bold electric barriers that are to protect the great lakes from Asian carp in a humane fashion. This is a very popular approach to the problem with the majority of people I spoke with in Illinois. Out of 44 fishermen asked; 23 said that they thought the barriers would be sufficient and were happy with the governments approach, eight thought the government was doing their best but the barriers would eventually fail, eight had no idea what I was talking about, and the rest were worried about how the barriers would effect their fishing.
The proprietors of the bait shops along the rivers and canals down current from these barriers are aware they will suffer, because while the carp will meet electricity trying to gain the great lakes, salmon and trout will face the same as they try to spawn up rivers. Amazingly, these shop owners still saw the need to protect the vast resource of the great lakes and many had played active roles in prodding Illinois to contribute funds for their construction. On the flip side of the coin, they wonder how the salmon and trout will be locally affected when the fish are turned back from their river runs and denied their spawn.
The waterways that are being blocked are by no means the most important of spawning rivers, and it is doubtful that the overall fishery will show significant decline, yet the locals who enjoy fishing these rivers will have to adjust. Unfortunately many of the fishermen I spoke with live in the area and do not have cars. None of these folks relished the idea of hauling their catch home via public transportation. Many of these same people, however, were quite intrigued when I informed them that both silver and bighead carp were considered good eating fish. The stigma of common carp; bony, soft, and foul-tasting, understandably made these people skeptical. When I should them the article by Dave Wilcox, however, at least they could see a bright side to the barriers. Asian carp meat is white and firm and the fish are not difficult to fillet. They are a fantastic source of food in their native land, and people in the south have begun to utilize them as well.
Of course this benefit doesn't make up for the destruction Asian carp reek on the ecosystem but it could provide a means to cull their numbers. Rod and reel fisherman will not influence their numbers, but a number of commercial fishermen just might if we can find a cost effective way to catch them in mass quantity. Once again we must look to biological research to help find an answer. If we could harness the specific female pheromone that attracts the males during the spawn, it could be utilized to widen the profit margin for commercial fisherman by actually drawing the fish to the nets or trap.

Discussion
Without doubt, the majority of those questioned has put their faith in physical technology. This vast optimism does little to belay fears of inevitable infiltration. This simply proves that the government has spewed enough propaganda to spin the public opinion in a direction of positive outcome. Time is the ultimate gauge of success but it is also a perilous means of evaluating a hypothesis. If the barriers fail, the damage will be irreparable in such a massive body of water%u2014and the barriers will fail. Walls, especially electric walls within water, will not halt the progression of Asian carp%u2014just stem the flow.
Consider this study announced in an EPA News letter (March 6, 2006):
The Illinois Natural History Survey is actively monitoring the effectiveness of the temporary barrier. They have tagged and tracked the movements of 100 common (native) carp near the canal. To date, only one radio-tagged common carp has breached the barrier, most likely as a result of turbulence caused from a passing barge. The design of a permanent barrier was modified to address this situation. Simulated tests in a fish hatchery and field monitoring of tagged fish have also shown the barrier was extremely effective at preventing the movement of fish into the Lake Michigan.
The failings of this study are substantial. When Asian carp arrive in full force they will dominate the entire underwater ecosystem as they have in the south (Wilcox, 2004). The numbers will far exceed numbers of common carp. The modification the study speaks of is another electric barrier set further away from the original. When a carp finds itself in the midst of these two non-lethal barriers who can say which barrier it will breach in its desperate lunge for sanctuary? If only a single Asian carp in a hundred pass the first barrier, and only one in a hundred of those breach the second barrier, we will still be looking at thousands of fish a month.
There is another fundamental failing of this research that has been overlooked. Common carp are bottom feeders while bigheads and silver both feed on suspended matter. Common carp will be in deep water and more prone to be deterred 180 degrees, silvers will launch themselves 6 feet into the air in random directions to escape shock (Wilcox, 2004). This fact alone spells failure for the barriers.
The most prevalent failing of these barriers comes not from the fish themselves, but their spawn. A factor that has seemingly been overlooked, the roe of Asian carp are semi-buoyant. The rush for a simple (yet expensive) solution may have forced a hand that was not ready to be played. It is imperative that the shock delivered by these barriers well exceed the threshold of terminal voltage of the spawn, yet no study found addresses this fundamental necessity.

Conclusion
Time after time I have seen government committees at work. The excruciating minutia of taking every possible issue into account according to a decorum to please an administration before making a decision, the overwhelming presence of authority influencing opinions, and most abhorrent of all%u2014the compromising of truth. Nature has no such decorum. Nature is life and death%u2014here and now. Ecosystems are delicate and have little ability to deal with alien introductions. The great lakes are already teeming with invasive species which have been introduced due to the failure of the government. I respect the efforts taken to prevent the onslaught of Asian carp, but it is nothing more then a very temporary solution.
The true solution lies through eradication, not deflection. The Army Corp of Engineers has assumed control of this venture which should be enough to throw red flags. Although it is refreshing to see such interagency cooperation, this marriage of technology and biology lends a dangerous confidence. There is an air of infallibility that the many people involved with this venture emit. I believe it is the considerable cost and the vast amount of time these people put in. Hope has solidified into something much more substantial, something that is hindering alternative pursuits: a kind of blind conviction.
Of course research is still being conducted to help stem the spread of Asian carp, but the bulk of funds are still being directed towards the barriers. I do see the need for the barriers; I simply believe more funds should be directed to a more finite solution. These fish have weaknesses that can be manipulated to decimate their population, but very little is being done to isolate them. The optimism people feel regarding these barriers may ultimately delay the final solution to the point where no solution is possible. When their hope fails, it will because the barrier has been breached, and then it will be too late.