DNA tests find no sign of Asian carp at Ind. marsh

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — State officials say genetic testing at a northeastern Indiana marsh has found no signs of voracious Asian carp.

There have been concerns that the fish might use Eagle Marsh near Fort Wayne to swim from the Wabash River system into the Maumee River and then on to Lake Erie during floods.

Officials this fall erected a system of fence-like barriers to keep carp out of the 705-acre wetland.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday water samples taken in October from rivers and streams associated with Eagle Marsh showed no DNA sign of the carp.

Biologists fear that if the carp reach the Great Lakes they could destroy its $7 billion-a-year fishing industry by starving out native species.