By Staff
Every March, advocates for the Great Lakes host a "Great Lakes Day" in Washington to focus national attention on these precious resources, which we in Michigan cherish and rely on every day. This month, I introduced two bills, along with other concerned Senators, that are urgently needed to prevent a potential catastrophe for the lakes from the invasion of Asian carp.
Asian carp pose a serious threat to the health of the Great Lakes. Asian carp grow quickly, reproduce often, consume large amounts of food needed by other species, and face no effective natural predator.
If they are introduced here, the species could rapidly wipe out much of the current fish population – and fishing industry – in the Great Lakes. The trout, salmon, bass, perch, walleye, and other species we currently enjoy could essentially be pushed aside by this one voracious species.
Asian carp are already having a devastating impact on the Mississippi River basin. The carp are overtaking native fish species and undermining the traditional fishing industry.
According to estimates from the state of Illinois, around 88 percent of commercial fishermen on the Illinois River have been forced out of business because the catfish and buffalo fish they once caught are gone. Asian carp are also known as "jumping carp" and, in addition to the environmental and economic havoc they cause, they pose a real safety hazard for boaters, fishermen, and other sport users.
The species has been heading toward the Great Lakes and has been spotted as close as 50 miles from Lake Michigan. A few years ago, the government built a "dispersal barrier" on the canal connecting the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes to stop the advance of the carp and other invasive species. A dispersal barrier is essentially an electrified field that is highly uncomfortable for the fish, preventing them from crossing it.
The barrier, however, was only designed for temporary use. It is wearing out and needs to be replaced.
Building a new dispersal barrier is a key provision of the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2007, which I recently introduced in the Senate. After the second barrier is built, the first barrier would be improved to become a permanent barrier. The bill calls for the barriers to be fully operated by the federal government.
The total cost of the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act would be $150 million a year, but, although that is a significant amount of money, it is a bargain when compared to the economic destruction the Asian carp and other invasive species could cause. For example, the invasive zebra mussel has caused $3 billion in economic damage over the past 10 years. Fishing on the Great Lakes is a $4 billion per year industry. If the Asian carp reach the Great Lakes, it would be a body blow to an important industry and to Michigan's economy.
The National Aquatic Invasive Species Act includes several other provisions that are important for protecting our lakes. It takes a comprehensive, preventative approach toward the problem of aquatic invasive species rather than just focusing on what to do when a species is established and a nuisance. For example, many aquatic species invade a new ecosystem after being carried there as "stowaways" aboard a ship. This bill would set tougher standards for ensuring that a ship's ballast water does not contain living organisms and would invest in new technologies for screening and eliminating organisms. Particularly important to the Great Lakes is the requirement that ships reporting "no ballast on board" flush out their ballast tanks before entering the lakes.
The second bill we introduced is called the Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act. This bill would require the government to recognize three species of Asian carp – the bighead, black and silver carp – as harmful to wildlife.
By doing so, Congress would prohibit the interstate transportation or importation of live Asian carp without a permit and therefore reduce the risk that Asian carp will be introduced into the Great Lakes.
There is widespread agreement that the problem of aquatic invasive species needs to be addressed by Congress and specifically that Asian carp must not be allowed to reach the Great Lakes.
I am optimistic that we will address invasive species in a comprehensive manner this year and will pass legislation to build a new dispersal barrier before it is too late.