As an independent binational agency entrusted with
assessing progress and providing advice to the U.S. and Canada regarding Great Lakes restoration, the
International Joint Commission (IJC) has been advising both governments about
the threat to the lakes’ ecosystem posed by the Asian carp. We are pleased to report that our
warnings were heeded and actions are being taken to keep these hungry invaders
out of the Great Lakes, protecting a $4.5 billion sport and commercial
fishery.
Asian carp are rapidly
proliferating in the Mississippi
River Basin, jumping out of the water
when startled by boat motors, striking anglers and knocking jet skiers off their
vessels. Even worse, these
voracious plankton feeders can grow to as much as 100 pounds, robbing native
fish of food, and threatening biodiversity in many rivers of our nation’s
heartland. The Asian carp are
relentlessly swimming northward, seeking the cooler waters of Lake Michigan,
putting the Great Lakes ecosystem in their slimy sights.
To respond to the threat posed by
the Asian carp, a coalition of governors led by Ohio’s Bob Taft and Wisconsin’s
Jim Doyle, federal officials including EPA administrator Mike Leavitt and Army
Corps of Engineers chief John Paul Woodley, city leaders like Chicago Mayor
Richard Daley, members of the Great Lakes Congressional Task Force and three
dozen other local, state, and federal agencies are working together for the very
first time. At the international
level, both the IJC and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission continue to
contribute ideas and resources to the fight. Finally, scientists from throughout the
basin have provided a solid scientific foundation for critical policy decisions
throughout the process.
Now, as a result of this
unprecedented cooperative effort, full funding of $9.1 million has been secured
to construct the electric fish dispersal barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and
Ship Canal, the last line of defense for the Great Lakes. The state of Illinois deserves a great
deal of credit for providing $1.7 million in critical matching funds. Mike Leavitt, as chair of the Great
Lakes Interagency Task Force, and key House and Senate leaders showed dogged
determination in finding the last $1.8 million needed to supplement the $5
million already promised by the Army Corps. We are also grateful to the other Great
Lakes states who agreed to share the burden to protect the lakes by contributing
a total of $575,000.
Despite this good news, the IJC
remains concerned because another new intruder is identified every eight
months. Hundreds of scientists and
policy makers who gathered in Toronto earlier
this month observed that invasive species were the only indicator of Great Lakes
health rated as “poor and deteriorating.”
This evidence only strengthens our recommendation that the U.S. Congress
pass the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act (NAISA) to provide a
comprehensive approach to prevent invasions, screen out possible invaders and
rapidly respond to outbreaks. The
recent discovery of a northern snakehead in Chicago’s Burnham
Harbor emphasizes the urgent need for
action because NAISA sets up a “rapid response” system so that all the
appropriate agencies and resources can immediately focus on eradicating this
predatory invader before it can spread.
Similarly, Canada is
urged to implement its National Invasive Species Plan and to look for
opportunities to harmonize and coordinate programs and policies with the
U.S.
In both the U.S. and Canada, comprehensive action on aquatic invasive
species is critical if our two nations are to meet our shared objective of
restoring and maintaining the biological integrity of the waters of the Great
Lakes basin. Our commission remains
ready to identify approaches that coordinate and harmonize binational efforts to
prevent the introduction of introduction of aquatic alien invasive species in
the Great Lakes. Moreover, we
believe the cooperative work battling the Asian carp provides an excellent model
for future collaboration on broader, more complicated and costly restoration
issues.
The Rt. Honorable Herb Gray The Honorable Dennis
Schornack
Chair, Canadian Section, IJC Chair, U.S. Section,
IJC