What are Asian carp?
Asian carp are an invasive species of fish that wreak havoc on native fish species. Due to their large size, ravenous appetites, and rapid rate of reproduction, these fish could pose a significant risk to the Great Lakes ecosystem. The Asian carp currently make up 9 out of 10 fish in the Illinois River, and are threatening to enter the Great Lakes. If not stopped, they could become a dominant species in the Great Lakes. Recent testing for environmental DNA indicates that Asian carp may have already reached Lake Michigan.
What threats do Asian carp pose to the Great Lakes?
- Asian carp are voracious filter feeders that could destroy the $7 billion fishery in the Great Lakes, and threaten the $16 billion tourism industry in the Great Lakes.
- Asian carp send boaters to the hospital. They have already sent many Illinois boaters to the hospital because they weigh as much as 100 pounds and leap into the air at the sound of a passing boat motor.
The Solution
Unfortunately, current efforts to prevent the Asian carp invasion, including the electronic barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, are inadequate and do not provide a long-term solution to keep Asian carp out of the lakes.A physical separation of the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes is the permanent solution to keeping Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. Specifically, CCE is advocating:
- The Army Corps of Engineers develop a plan for permanent ecological separation of the Mississippi River and Great Lakes by 2011.
- Federal Agencies do everything in their power to prevent the Asian carp invasion in the short term (ie/ lock closure, chemical treatment).
Take action to prevent new aquatic invasive species from entering the Great Lakes through the ballasts of ocean-going vessels.
Note: to watch the videos, you may need to obtain the latest version of the free Adobe Flash Player.
Watch Preventing a Hostile Takeover: Asian Carp and the Great Lakes (6:07 min), produced by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and the International Joint Commission, April 2004:
Watch Nuisance Fish (6:20 min), produced by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency:
Updated by bsmith 3/30/10