Protecting the Great Lakes from Asian Carp Qiyue Chen 5/6/2014

What are Asian Carp? Asian carp is a catchall name for species of silver, bighead, grass, and black carp from Southeast Asia. The huge, hard-headed silver carp also pose a threat to boaters. Asian carp are fast-growing, aggressive and adaptable fish that are outcompeting native fish species for food and habitat in much of the mid-section of the United States. Asian carp were introduced into Southern fish farm ponds in the 1970s and quickly spread across the United States. They are now on the verge of invading the Great Lakes.

Why are they here ？ Asian carp were imported into the U.S. in the 1970s to filter pond water in fish farms in Arkansas. Flooding allowed them to escape and establish reproducing populations in the wild by the early 1980s. At present, bighead carp have been found in the open waters of 23 states and silver carp in 17 states. Asian carp represent over 97% of the biomass in portions of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and are swiftly spreading northward up the Illinois River in the direction of the Great Lakes.

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Why are they a problem? Asian carp have harmed the ecosystem, the economy, property, and boaters in the Mississippi River system. The diet of Asian carp overlaps with the diet of native fishes in the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, meaning the carp compete directly with native fish for food. In addition to causing ecological harm, the silver variety of the Asian carp has caused direct harm to people. The silver carp is skittish and easily startled by the sound of a boat motor. The sound can cause the fish to leap as high as ten feet out of the water, earning them the nickname "the flying fish." Some of these fish weigh more than twenty pounds. They land in boats, damage property, and injure people.

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Threat to Great Lakes Asian Carp is putting Great Lakes wildlife at serious risk, along with boaters’ safety and the future of a $7-billion sport fishing industry.

Is it possible to eradicate Asian carp if they were to enter the Great Lakes? Eradication of any established population of Asian carp might be difficult and expensive, if possible at all. Ability to eradicate depends partly on the area that has been invaded. Asian carp are thought to have exacting spawning requirements, requiring long rivers for the development of the eggs and larvae. If the invaded water is a reservoir or lake with no such river tributary, then Asian carp would probably eventually die out (although this may take more than 20 years). It may also be possible to deny carp access to those rivers by erecting barriers prohibiting upstream movement to spawn.

Actions to protect Great Lake

Not enough time The Chicago waterways are connected to the Illinois River, where a large carp population has advanced to within 55 miles of Lake Michigan. The Corps says an electric barrier 37 miles from the lake is preventing any individuals from slipping through. cost more than $18 billion and take 25 years to complete.

Another method Aside from doing nothing new, the cheapest approach would step up use of existing measures such as netting carp and treating the water with chemicals, at a cost of $68 million a year. A silver bullet to kill Asian carps.

Regulation Asian carp could also get into the Great Lakes through live bait, or if fish processors, fish markets or retail food wholesalers transport live Asian carp to markets within the Great Lakes basin, resulting in accidental or intentional release of carp into the Great Lakes. To address these issues, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is enforcing the new listing of bighead carp as injurious under the Lacey Act and is working with state natural resource agencies to undertake carp inspections at bait shops, fish processors, fish markets and retail food establishments.

References om_great_lakes_editorial.html

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