Alliance to Testify at Congressional Carp Hearing; Federal Strategy Unveiled
Alliance President Joel Brammeier will be among those testifying before a congressional subcommittee today about the need to immediately address the Asian carp's encroachment on the Great Lakes.
The hearing – hosted by the Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment -- is scheduled to be web cast live at 2 p.m. EST.
Meanwhile, federal officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, and the Coast Guard on Monday unveiled a strategy outlining more than 25 short- and long-term actions and $78.5 million in investments to combat the spread of Asian carp.
That plan was met with concern by the Alliance and four other Great Lakes conservation groups in a joint statement released today.
“We are concerned that the document released by the government still does not articulate a clear plan, based on the best available scientific information, which will actually work," the statement said. "The plan is hard to evaluate because it contains fuzzy timelines and lacks triggers for specific actions.
“Actions in the next year are dependent on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deploy now and meet critical deadlines. This plan falls short of providing that clarity," the statement concluded.
The control strategy was introduced as a multi-tiered defense of the Great Lakes to prevent Asian carp from developing self-sustaining populations while longer term biological controls are being developed.
In the near-term, the strategy:
- Reduces openings of Chicago’s navigational locks to prevent carp movement.
- Enlarges field crews for physical and sonar observation, electro-shocking and netting operations within the waterway.
- Expedites turnaround times on eDNA Asian carp verification, and doubles testing capacity to 120 samples per week.
- Anticipates the awarding of a $13.2 million contract in March for the construction of barriers between the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and Des Plaines River to prevent fish passage around the electric barrier in the event of flooding. Anticipates awarding a $10.5 million contact for construction and operation of a third electric barrier.
- Expedites an Army Corps study of the feasibility and impacts of permanent lock closure, the effectiveness of lock closings to block carp movement, the risks and costs associated with closure, and a discussion of alternatives.
The strategy further identifies a variety of longer term Asian carp management techniques for the duration of 2010 and beyond. Those techniques include $3 million for commercial market enhancements and $5 million for additional chemical treatments in the case of barrier failure.
It also puts forth more than $1.5 million in new research funding in the coming months, among them: the development of biological controls such as Asian carp-specific poisons, methods to disrupt spawning and egg viability, sonic barriers, and assessment of food sources and potential habitats.
Finally, the strategy identifies educational and enforcement tools to prevent Asian carp from being sold or purposefully transferred, and an investigation of Asian carp transfer in ballast and bilge water.
In a related development EPA announced Monday it will host two public meetings to discuss plans and take comments on Asian carp control efforts. Those meetings are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 12 in Chicago, and Feb. 17 in Ypsilanti, Mich.
The dual announcements of the strategy and public meetings came as Great Lakes governors from Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois convened a summit Monday to discuss how to prevent the spread of the devastating Asian carp into the Great Lakes. The governors were to meet via teleconference with Obama's chief science adviser, Nancy Sutley, who heads the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
The governors first called for the summit on Jan. 19, a day rocked by two major developments: the Supreme Court's denial of Michigan’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have forced emergency measures to keep the invading Asian carp out of Lake Michigan, and the Army Corps's announcement that Asian carp DNA was found for the first time in Lake Michigan waters.
Known to batter boaters and even knock them into the water at the sound of a passing motor, Asian carp are voracious filter feeders that can grow to more than 4 feet long, weigh up to 100 pounds and quickly dominate a body of water by gobbling up the same food that sustains native fish populations.
Asian carp DNA has been found in recent months in several locations along different branches of the Chicago Waterway System. The most recent DNA evidence was found in Chicago’s Calumet Harbor, a large breakwater-protected area in the open water of Lake Michigan.
The Alliance last year issued a report calling for physically separating the Mississippi and Great Lakes basins, the only permanent solution proposed for keeping Asian carp and future invasive species from traveling between the two watersheds.
Fact Sheet: Great Lakes-Mississippi separation strategy >>
Updated 2-9-10