'Bubble Barrier' Proposed To Keep Asian Carp Out Of Great Lakes

LANSING, MI – A software consultant from Harvard Medical School's proposal to create a "bubble barrier" may only be an idea to keep Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes, but it has netted him $200,000.

Edem Tsikata's proposal to create a "cavitation barrier" won the top prize in a contest challenged competitors to find innovative ways to keep the invasive species from spreading across the lakes. Tsikata was one of four finalists who competed Tuesday in the Great Lakes Invasive Carp Challenge in Detroit.

His proposal entails a row of specially designed submerged propellers that generate a wall of bubbles "that implode and emit high-speed jets of water," according to an announcement from Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's office. The sensation of the bubbles, as well as the noise of the propellers, would repell the fish and keep them from swimming past the barrier.

Tsikata, of Boston, was selected from four finalists who presented their ideas to a panel of judges and a live audience of invasive carp researchers, fisheries managers and venture capitalists. Tsikata plans to use the $200,000 award to invest in other projects and future challenges.

"It’s gratifying to be able to contribute ideas that benefit the economy and ecology of this region even though I live in Boston," Tsikata said.

The other finalists and their proposals were:

• David Hamilton, a senior policy director for The Nature Conservancy in Lansing, proposal a lock system, where vessels are moored in a gated chamber and chlorine – which is lethal to a wide range of aquatic organisms, including invasive carp – would be mixed into the chamber’s waters. Following treatment, the water would detoxified. Hamilton's proposal took second place and a $125,000 award;
• Michael Scurlock, a hydraulic engineer with RiverRestoration in Carbondale, Colorado, proposed adjustable physical velocity barriers designed to concentrate water flow in a lock system after vessels are moored, creating a current that fish cannot swim against and essentially flushing the system before the lock gates are closed. His proposal won third place and $100,000; and
• Dr. D.J. Lee of Smart Vision Works International in Orem, Utah, and a professor and director of the Robotics Vision Laboratory at Brigham Young University, proposed system that recognized and sorted fish, and then would divert the invasive fish to a tank to be harvested. His proposal won $75,000.

Judges assessed each proposal based on its potential effectiveness, feasibility, environmental and human impacts, and level of innovation.

Asian carp and other invasive species have become a costly threat for the Great Lakes and the people that live and work near them. According to government findings, if Asian carp find their way into the Great Lakes, it could lead to a substantial loss of more than 214,000 tourism jobs in Michigan, higher taxes to make up the difference in lost tourism revenue, the loss of the charter fishing industry, a decline in property values along the shorelines and a disruption in the lakeside lifestyle many Michigan residents enjoy.

Photo: Edem Tsikata of Boston, Massachusetts accepts the grand prize at the Carp Tank from Governor Rick Snyder, David Lodge, Jeff DeBoer and Dr. Denice Shaw