Hey, it's Flora Lichtenen, and you're listening to Science Friday.

Today in the show, drama with invasive carp and how to keep them in check.

It's absolutely raiding fish, and part of it is that they actually have to be like strapped into the boat to make sure that nothing goes wrong.

Because these are big fish. They can be like over two feet long, weigh like upwards of 25 pounds.

Now it's time to check in on the state of science.

This is KERNO.

St. Louis Public Radio News.

Local science stories of national significance.

Today we're turning to the Illinois River for a fish tale gone wrong.

Decades ago, non-native carp were brought onto fish farms on the Mississippi River to control algae and parasites.

They escaped, thrived, and eventually flooded the Illinois River out-competing

native species and generally wreaking havoc. Environmental managers have tried to control the fish

without much success, and now one of the biggest fears is that these carp will find their way into

the Great Lakes via Chicago and do damage. There's a proposed project to stop the fish, but it's expensive and not everyone agrees.

It's the best solution.

Here to tell us more is Juan Pablo Ramirez Franco, environmental reporter at WBEZ and Grist.

He's based in Chicago.

Juan Pablo, welcome back to the show.

Hey there, Flora.

Happy to be here.

Okay, so you went on a boat with these researchers studying the carp.

Set the scene for me.

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