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HOUGHTON -- They can out-eat and out-swim the average fish, and Asian carp are even said to prefer cold water.  Combine that with their ability to adapt to different environments and you might think these fish are downright unstoppable.

Asian carp have been threatening to invade the Great Lakes for years, but a permanent solution remains to be found.  With the opportunity to act quickly slipping away, a couple of Houghton-based scientists have come up with a plan of their own.

"We know carp are highly tolerant to low levels of oxygen, but most people are talking one part per million," says Dr. Dave Chesney, a chemistry professor at Michigan Tech.  "Considering how active the fish are, I would think the carp would get 5-10 yards into an oxygen-free zone and say, 'Wait a second, I'm not getting any oxygen,' and turn around."

The idea came up during a casual conversation with another concerned friend.  Tom Rozich, a former fish biologist with the DNR, was telling Chesney that historically, invasive species hadn't been a problem because the Chicago Shipping Canal had been polluted with sewage, which made the water anaerobic or oxygen free.

"He had the idea of manufacturing nitrogen and bubbling it in the water, which would eliminate or tie up the oxygen and create that dead-zone or barrier to fish migration," says Rozich.

Bubbling nitrogen has been used for years to kill aquatic organisms in the ballast water of cargo ships.  It has never been used in an open system like the canal, but Chesney believes the bubbles would still be able to convert the dissolved oxygen in water to gas form, which would then rise to the surface and escape.

"The best part is it's completely reversible and environmentally friendly,” Chesney says.  “You take nitrogen out of the air next to the river, you bubble it through the water and it goes right back into the air."

The men estimate their plan would cost between $15 and $20 million each year to operate.  But that's nothing compared to the seven billion dollar fishing industry that would be at stake if the Asian carp got into the Great Lakes.

"You can't move quickly enough,” Rozich says.  “It should have been done yesterday, it should have been done last week, a month ago, five years ago, but Dave and I both think this a is a very sound idea and it will work."

Last spring, the men sent a letter to President Obama and several state and regional officials explaining their proposal.  They're still waiting for someone to take action.