The Asian carp invasion is a serious concern currently on the radar of Michigan policy-makers. The invasion of a fish species into the Great Lakes could pose a serious and irreversible economic impact to our $7 billion annual fishing industry.

According to the EPA’s own website: “Researchers expect that Asian carp would disrupt the food chain that supports the native fish of the Great Lakes. Due to their large size, ravenous appetites, and rapid rate of reproduction, these fish could pose a significant risk to the Great Lakes Ecosystem.”

Here’s a nice quality online video from Animal Planet to see what we are potentially up against.

According to my research, if the fish enter the ecosystem of the Great Lakes, the new species will pose a serious risk of competition for food with commercial and sport species of fish, thereby making the Asian Carp the dominant species of the lakes.

These fish can grow to upwards of 100 pounds and four feet in length. Their enormous size causes them to have a monster appetite for algae. The species was brought into the U.S. to assist with algae control in fishery ponds which subsequently flooded in the 1990s, spilling into the nearby waterways. The species has been found in the Illinois River which connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan through a canal transportation waterway in Chicago.

The sole gateway leading into Lake Michigan from the Illinois River is the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Currently, a number of environmental entities are working diligently to install an electric barrier between the canal and Lake Michigan.

So why does all this matter? The Michigan Attorney General’s Office has banded together with six other nearby states to demand that the State of Illinois close the Chicago-based canal. According to leading experts, there may be a $7 billion annual impact to the fish industry and 800,000 jobs it supports, If the species makes it into Lake Michigan.

Illinois has argued that an estimated $16 billion in goods is shipped through their waterway annually and closing the canal would adversely impact their shipping industry. According to Michigan, the canal represents a mere 1% of all goods shipped through the Chicago area and their figures are a gross overestimation. Furthermore, a little creative planning could divert barge shipments using rail transport and avoid the waterway altogether.

Michigan led the charge to ask the Supreme Court to intervene. Subsequently, the High Court denied the request to order the waterway closed. Dave Camp (R-MI), introduced a bill intended to tackle the species leak and keep the IL shipping industry happy. The Army Corp of Engineers has detected DNA evidence that the species has now entered Lake Michigan.

In my opinion, Michigan needs to keep fighting, especially during an already state-wide economic recession! Furthermore, we need to continue further collaborative efforts with other Great Lakes region states. It is most imperative that the state quit the bickering and come together to formulate creative solutions to this problem. It is important for all stakeholders to realize the detrimental impact this could also have, even to Illinois. The time the state wastes in litigation, is time wasted on developing and implementing lasting solutions.

Furthermore, it is my fervent belief that Michigan needs to fight to make this issue one of the forefront environmental issues on the federal radar and to financially collaborate with all nearby states to pay for solutions. Wisconsin, New York, Ohio, and the Canadian government need to carry their share of the burden considering these fish on on their way to their borders.

Here’s the latest update I could find from the Huffington Post.

Pictures, maps, diagrams, and fascinating links on the species and the history of this ecological struggle here.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has posted an informative PowerPoint and text document.

Fascinating article on the perspective from both sides.