GLIN==> Great Lakes Fishery Commission Applauds Introduction of "Asian Carp" Legislation

For Immediate Release
June 30, 2010

Contact:  Marc Gaden
734-417-8012

GREAT LAKES FISHERY COMMISSION APPLAUDS INTRODUCTION OF "ASIAN CARP" LEGISLATION

Bill, introduced by Senators Stabenow and Durbin, and Congressman Camp, would accelerate separation of Mississippi and Great Lakes basins


ANN ARBOR, MI-The Great Lakes Fishery Commission congratulated Senators Debbie Stabenow (MI) and Dick Durbin (IL) and Representative Dave Camp (MI) for introducing today the Permanent Prevention of Asian Carp Act of 2010, a bill that would greatly accelerate the move toward permanent separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins.  The bill, if passed by Congress and signed by the president, would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine the feasibility and the best means of achieving hydrological separation of the two watersheds.  Hydrological separation is essential in blocking the movement of Asian carp and other invasive species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins via a waterway system in the Chicago area.

The Chicago Waterway System, a series of canals and rivers in and near Chicago, artificially connects the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River basins.  The waterway is a vibrant transportation corridor, a route for pleasure boats, and a water management system; any study, as is the case with this bill, must take transportation, economic, and water management factors into account.  The Great Lakes Fishery Commission (and many others) has repeatedly identified separation as the only viable way to address the invasive species problem caused by that direct link between the two basins [www.glfc.org/fishmgmt/Hansen_testimony_aisancarp.pdf<http://www.glfc.org/fishmgmt/Hansen_testimony_aisancarp.pdf>].  In March, 2010, citizen advisors to the commission-from both Canada and the United States-passed a joint resolution making the same recommendation [www.glfc.org/staff/resol2010.pdf].

"The bill introduced today, if passed, would set into motion a process that we at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission have long supported-a process to permanently separate the Mississippi and Great Lakes basins," said Commissioner Michael Hansen, a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.  "This bill directs the corps to tell us how to achieve separation.  The bill also establishes some tight deadlines:  an initial report is due in six months with the final report due in a year and a half."

Hansen added:  "Asian carp and other invasive species should not be allowed to enter the Great Lakes, harm the ecosystem, and threaten the $7 billion fishery.  The only true solution to the invasive species corridor that is the Chicago Waterway System is to separate the two watersheds.  This bill provides a path to achieving that goal sooner rather than later."
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The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is an international organization established by the United States and Canada through the 1954 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries. The commission has the responsibility to support fisheries research, control the invasive sea lamprey in the Great Lakes, and facilitate implementation of A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries, a provincial, state, and tribal fisheries management agreement.  Visit www.glfc.org<http://www.glfc.org> for more information.  For more about Asian carp, visit www.asiancarp.org<http://www.asiancarp.org>.


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Marc Gaden, PhD
Communications Director and Legislative Liaison
Great Lakes Fishery Commission
2100 Commonwealth Blvd. Ste 100
Ann Arbor, MI  48105
734-662-3209 x. 14
marc at glfc.org<mailto:marc at glfc.org>
www.glfc.org<http://www.glfc.org>
P Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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