Report: $275 Million Needed To Fight Invasive Asian Carp

If you are well versed with how prolific and invasive Asian carp can be, then you may already be aware of the ever-growing threat that is happening in the Great lakes. To give you an idea as to how critical this situation is, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has sent a proposal that would spend about $275 million in order to upgrade defenses against the invasive fish.

The Corps of Engineers want to make the appropriate upgrades for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam that is located by Joliet, Ill., just on the Des Plaines River. This specific waterway is a direct link between the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan.There is already a huge Asian carp epidemic in this waterway alone, scientists are afraid that if the Asian carp are able to make their way through to the Great Lakes then they could potentially destroy the region's $7 billion fishing industry.

The reason why so many people are concerned about this problem is because of how aggressive the Asian carp can be. Asian carp are prone to being competitive with the neighboring wildlife communities and make it nearly impossible for any other aquatic life to adapt or exist for that matter.

A draft of this report was originally expected at the end of February, but was blocked by the White House pending review.

"Seven species of carp native to Asia have been introduced into United States waters in recent decades, but it's four in particular—bighead, black, grass and silver—that worry ecologists, biologists, fishers and policymakers alike," writes Scientific American. "Introduced in the southeast to help control weeds and parasites in aquaculture operations, these fish soon spread up the Mississippi River system where they have been crowding out native fish populations not used to competing with such aggressive invaders. The carps' presence in such numbers is also compromising water quality and killing off sensitive species such as freshwater mussels."

This report, a whopping 488 pages long, details how they plan on blocking the path of the fish all the while keeping the waterways safe for other life and open to the public. The report also claims that they are looking to use underwater sound systems as a way to deflect fish from entering. The report includes building a new approach channel within the Brandon Road area as well as utilizing an electrical barrier at the downstream end of the waterway which will stun the fish for a time.

There are a variety of ways that the public can help deal with the Asian carp epidemic that is currently happening. On top of what the city plans to do with the increasing Asian carp population, individuals can actually fish for the Asian carp then sell them for cash to a processing company, known as Bare it all pet foods, which then turns the carp into a healthy pet food blend for either your cat or dog.

Saving the waterway and original wildlife that were there before the Asian carp are some of our top priorities so that the balance does not become unstable with this prolific fish.

 

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