Waterway operators meet on Asian carp

More than a dozen waterway operators met with the new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commander in Chicago to express concern the migration of Asian carp could force a closure of area locks.

Other states around the Great Lakes have urged authorities to close the locks to ensure the carp can't get into Lake Michigan, which would devastate the region's fishing industry.

At Monday's gathering in Lemont, U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert told attendees the push by some to shut down the locks was a "misguided and scientifically flawed effort to stop the fish."

Biggert added that tests indicate electric barriers and other preventative measures are keeping Asian carp in Illinois from entering Lake Michigan.

The new Chicago commander of the Army corps of engineers is Col. Frederic Drummond Jr.