Government Acts Against Invasive, Dangerous Asian Carp Species in Great Lakes States

After numerous reports about Asian Carp aggressively traveling up the Mississippi and towards the Great Lakes, legislators at the federal level are taking action to prevent the invasive fish species from entering the bodies of freshwater.

Led by United States Senator Carl Levin from Michigan, senators from Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and New York signed a letter that was sent to the Army for Civil Works. The legislators are urging the Army Corps of Engineers to both provide short term plans as well as aggressively pursue a long term plan to keep the Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes region, the Times Herald reported.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Illinois, International Joint Commission, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are all working together to prevent the Asian Carp from inhabiting Lake Michigan, which seems to be the lake most threatened by the invasive species.

Environmentalists and legislators fear that the carp's presence will disrupt aquatic wildlife, ecosystems, and boaters as well as other water recreation activities. The U.S. National Park Service cites that Asian Carp cause serious damaged to native fish populations because they out-compete other fish for food and space, lower water quality, dominate entire streams, and damage boating equipment by jumping out of the water at high speeds.

A little over a week ago, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that they found Asian carp eggs and late-stage embryos in the upper Mississippi River in Lynxville, Wisconsin, which is 250 miles north of previously known reproductive areas. They also found carp eggs in seven locations between Iowa and Wisconsin, further pointing toward a northern spread.

As a result, the federal legislators believed it was necessary to address this issue while acknowledging time sensitivity. The Army Corps received $3 million in January specifically allocated for defense against the Asian Carp, but they have not yet decided how to use it. That will most likely change in the immediate future.