Officials hope poisoning the fish in the 6-mile stretch of the canal will keep the Asian carp from advancing. A fish toxin called Rotenone will be used Wednesday, according to an Illinois Department of Natural Resource spokeswoman. By Thursday, there should be up to 200,000 pounds of fish carcasses. Those will be taken to a landfill.
The poisoning is scheduled at the same time the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to deactivate an electronic barrier on the canal for maintenance. The barrier was designed to repel the carp by giving them a non-lethal jolt.
Before dumping the poison, fish biologists will shock game fish and remove them from the canal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
