Back in June, an Asian carp was caught just nine miles from Lake Michigan. Somehow it got past electric barriers designed to keep those fish out of the Great Lakes. Now an autopsy reveals new details.
The Asian Carp is feared because it has a huge appetite, and could take food from other fish in the Great Lakes. So scientists want to know a lot more about the one caught in Illinois.
The autopsy answered a number of questions. It found that the fish was four years old. And it originated in the Illinois/Middle Mississippi watershed.
The autopsy also showed that the fish spent no more than a few months in the Little Calumet River before it was caught.
But one big question went unanswered. Officials still don't know how the fish got past the underwater electric barriers.
Scientists have speculated that Asian carp, especially small ones, could be pushed past the barriers by barges.