The White House agreed to host a summit between Great Lakes governors and White House officials to address the Asian carp threat Wednesday, the same day legislation was proposed to halt the spread of the invasive species.
In a letter to Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said she “welcomes the opportunity to meet with the Great Lakes governors on this issue.”
Sutley recommends the meeting occur sometime in the first week of February, either in the Midwest or Washington D.C.
After a Dec. 8 water test found Asian carp DNA in Lake Michigan waters, Adam Collins, spokesperson for Doyle, said the governor is “very happy” with the Obama administration’s quick response and that he is a strong advocate for protecting the Great Lakes from Asian carp.
“It’s going to be a really great opportunity for states and the federal government to get together and discuss strategies to fight the spread of Asian carp in a coordinated manner,” Collins said.
The White House letter was released the same day Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., introduced a bill proposing to shut down the navigation locks in the Chicago area. The bill would also create a temporary barrier between Chicago canals and the Great Lakes and give the Army Corps of Engineers authority to eliminate the species.
According to Camp spokesperson Lauren Phillips, Camp decided to propose the legislation after the Supreme Court failed to issue a temporary injunction to close the Chicago locks. She said Camp is concerned because the fish are moving faster towards the lakes than anyone anticipated.
“We’re talking $7.5 billion in damages if the fish do take over. They hurt people, tourism, ships, commerce, you name it,” Phillips said. “The region has taken a hit recently with the automobile industry and we really can’t afford to lose more jobs.”
According to Mike Staggs, director of the Bureau of Fisheries Management at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Asian carp are large fish that feed on the plankton other fish species depend on in the Great Lakes.
Staggs said there are differing opinions regarding how damaging the species would be to the Great Lakes habitat, however, most have agreed there will be some impact on the natural wildlife.
“If these big, prolific competitors get into the lakes in any numbers, there will be significant reductions in the fish populations of fish that are here now,” Staggs said. “For years we’ve been saying you’ve got to do something and now they’re at the doorstep.”
According to Staggs, Asian carp were brought into several southern states in the U.S. in the 1970s because they were thought to be useful for the fish farming industry. Problems occurred when the ponds the fish were placed in flooded, allowing the carp to get into the Mississippi river system.
Staggs said the DNR recommends ecological separation as the best way to stop the spread of Asian carp. This would involve constructing barriers between the Mississippi and Illinois River systems, as well as the Great Lakes and Illinois drainages.
