LANSING, MI (WHTC) – So far, so good when it comes to two types of invasive species in the waters of the Great Lakes off of Michigan’s shores.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the state Department of Natural Resources claims that, so far in 2016, no bighead and silver carp environmental DNA has been found in Michigan waters. This conclusion comes following testing of samples from high priority locations for the presence of these species’ genetic material by DNA and US Fish and Wildlife Service officers, although results from the third and final round of sampling in West Michigan-based rivers, including Macatawa, Kalamazoo, Grand and Muskegon, have not yet come in.
Since the eDNA surveillance program was established by federal and state agencies in the Great Lakes region in 2013, only one sample tested positive. It is believed that the 2014 discovery of silver carp generic material in the Kalamazoo River was not that of a live fish.
