Bill To Protect Great Lakes From Asian Carp Invasion

Congress introduced legislation Thursday, January 18, to fund the last line of defense against the nonnative Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes, causing havoc for boaters and anglers, and threatening the region's $4.5 billion fishery.

After years of Congressional scrambling to keep a temporary electric barrier working, Illinois lawmakers Representative Judy Biggert and Senator Richard Durbin introduced the Great Lakes Asian Carp Barrier Act (HR553 and S336), which will provide approximately $9 million to construct and maintain a permanent electric barrier. Just last year, the barrier looked to be doomed except for a last minute amendment to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill, reported the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council.

This bill authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to complete a dispersal barrier system on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The electric barrier on the canal is designed to repel the carp from entering Lake Michigan. More than 180 aquatic invasive species have been discovered in the Great Lakes. Every 28 weeks, on average, one new non-native species enters the Great Lakes.

"The completion and long-term operation of the barrier system by the federal government is vital if we are to be successful in keeping Asian carp out of the Great Lakes," said Jennifer McKay, a policy specialist with Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council in Petoskey.

Owing to their large size, ravenous appetite, and rapid rate of reproduction, Asian carp, an invasive species, pose a significant threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem by consuming large quantities of phytoplankton and competing with native fish for habitat. Originally, Asian carp were introduced to the United States as a management tool for aquaculture farms and sewage treatment facilities. The carp have made their way north to the Illinois River after escaping from fish farms during massive flooding along the Mississippi River. Asian carp can grow to an average of four feet and 60 pounds, and can consume up to 40 percent of their body weight in plankton per day.

Carp have shown an affinity for becoming the dominant large fish species over more desirable native species or established fish that are recreationally and economically important. Asian carp aggressively out-compete and eventually displace native fish altogether. With no natural predators and the ability to produce 2.2 million eggs, the Asian carp could devastate the Great Lakes' multibillion dollar fishing industry.

In addition to the threat Asian carp pose to Great Lakes fisheries, carp also pose an actual physical threat to boaters. The silver species of Asian carp can leap out of the water, creating a hazard for boaters and water-skiers as the fish crash into boats, hitting people and damaging equipment. There have been numerous reports of boaters injured by flying carp on the Missouri River.

"It is critically important for Congress to permanently authorize and fund the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to finish building and then operate and maintain the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal barrier system," Ms. McKay said. "This is the last line of defense the Great Lakes have at preventing the invasion of a species that could turn the Great Lakes into what U.S. Fish and Wildlife scientists have called 'giant carp ponds.'"

The legislation will authorize the Corps of Engineers to: Complete construction on a permanent barrier (Barrier II); upgrade and make permanent the original demonstration barrier (Barrier I); operate Barriers I and II simultaneously to optimize effectiveness, and study options and technologies to prevent the spread of this invasive species.

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council works to maintain the environmental integrity and economic and aesthetic values of lakes, streams, wetlands, and ground water in Northern Michigan, as well as statewide and throughout the Great Lakes Basin.