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Courtesy Photo / AP
Asian carp, reaching weights of 100 pounds, threaten other Great Lakes’ species.

Asian carp invasion threatens Great Lakes

By Molly Waite and Chelsea Lane GVL Staff
2/3/2010

For Michigan and other states in the Great Lakes region, the invasion of Asian carp has caused serious concern for the welfare of the lake ecosystems and Michigan economy.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Asian carp have already been found in the Illinois River, which connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. Due to their rapid reproduction, massive appetite and extremely large size, with some carp reaching as much as 100 pounds, the Asian carp could potentially destroy Great Lakes ecosystems and devastate Michigan's multibillion-dollar fishing industry as a result.

The permanent electrical barrier built in the Illinois River in 2006 has been ineffectual so far in preventing invasive species from entering the Great Lakes.

Carl Ruetz, assistant professor at the Grand Valley State University Annis Water Resources Institute, said traces of Asian carp DNA have been found in waters beyond the electrical barrier.

"Prevention is the best method," Ruetz said. "Once the fish have entered the habitat and begun to breed, it is nearly impossible to get rid of them."

Ruetz added the most effective way to stop Asian carp and other invasive species is to remove the pathways through which they enter the Great Lakes.

These pathways tend to be man-made channels constructed for the transportation of iron ore, coal and other goods, such as the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

"The responsible federal and state agencies have known about this problem for 13 years but have utterly failed to act with the urgency that this threat requires," said Henry Henderson, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Midwest Program, in a press release. "The prospect of 100-pound fish off of Oak Street Beach and leaping out at boaters in the Great Lakes should spur action that should have been undertaken years ago. We have seen how zebra and quagga mussels have literally transformed Lake Michigan, and I fear that the Asian carp could do far worse to the ecosystem ... The only aggressive thing about the virtual fish fence has been its million-dollar price tag."

Last year Michigan's attorney general, Mike Cox, entered in a lawsuit to close Chicago-area locks to prevent further invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes. The U.S. Supreme Court denied the lawsuit in January.

Cox also urged citizens to help protect the Great Lakes by signing an online petition at http://www.stopasiancarp.com.

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle will meet with White House representatives on Feb. 8 for an Asian Carp Summit. They will discuss the CARP ACT, or Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today, which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Dave Camp after the Supreme Court denied Cox's lawsuit.

"It is extremely disappointing that the Supreme Court refused to issue a preliminary injunction, which would have protected the Great Lakes from Asian Carp," Camp said in a public statement. "Given the proximity of this invasive species to the lakes and that these fish have reached the area faster than anyone anticipated, it is clear immediate action must be taken in order to prevent irreversible harm. At this point, it may take an act of Congress to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, and that is something I intend to pursue."

President Barack Obama, a former Illinois senator, has opposed attempts to close shipping locks and will not attend the summit.

"President Obama said he would not tolerate new threats to the Great Lakes, yet he has left the front door to Lake Michigan wide open," Cox said in a press release. "Billions in economic activity and 800,000 Michigan jobs connected with the health of the lakes are at risk. His indifference is just stunning."

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