The scenario of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes through Chicago waterways is closer to reality as the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee announced Wednesday, June 23, that an invasive bighead carp was captured in Lake Calumet, six miles away from Lake Michigan.

The fish’s capture bolsters repeated environmental DNA tests which have shown that the carp have evaded an electrical barrier intended to prevent their movement out of canals artificially connecting the Great Lakes and Mississippi River system. Scientists and government regulators agree that the invasive fish pose a dire threat to the Lakes because of their size and voracious appetites.

Environmental groups throughout the Great Lakes have been advocating for quick action to impede the carp’s movement toward Lake Michigan, while federal officials and business interests have questioned the validity of evidence that pointed to the invasive species’ presence.

The news brings a renewed call from environmental groups for more agile efforts to prevent the carp’s movement. Many organizations have called for hydrologic separation of the two systems to ensure the movement of the carp and other invasive species is stopped. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently said that a study of this solution will take five to seven years.

There are no other physical barriers before the fish reach Lake Michigan, noted Andy Buchsbaum, director of the Great Lakes Office of the National Wildlife Federation.

“If the capture of this live fish doesn’t confirm the urgency of this problem, nothing will. We need to pull out all the stops; this is code red for the Great Lakes.”

“This discovery underscores the urgent need to act quickly to solve the Asian carp crisis,” said Jeff Skelding, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery hinge on preventing invasive species like the Asian carp from getting into the Lakes. We are urging the U.S. Congress to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study—and complete in short order—the most efficient and effective way to build a barrier between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River.”