Michigan has seen its waters invaded by zebra mussels and goby. But a far greater threat is headed toward the Great Lakes, and we’re rapidly running out of time to halt it.
As invasive species go, the Asian carp is a menace out of a B-grade horror movie. These fish can weigh 60 pounds or more and are known to leap out of the water and crash into boaters and fishermen, causing serious injuries. Of far graver concern, however, is their potential impact on the Great Lakes ecosystem.
These giant, fresh-water carp have been called “locusts of the river’’ because they devour plankton, the base of the food chain for other aquatic life, decimating native species. They have wreaked havoc as they’ve worked their way up the Mississippi River into Illinois. Now, they’ve been found near Chicago in the Des Plaines River, which puts them within striking distance of Lake Michigan. The International Joint Commission calls Asian carp the “foremost threat to the biological integrity of the Great Lakes.’’
The migration of this invader must be stopped now, and we are convinced that best available solution is a closing of the locks of the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal, at least temporarily, while other measures are considered and put in place. The man-made canal connects Lake Michigan to the Des Plaines River, and represents our last chance to keep the carp from advancing. Michigan and other Great Lakes states have pushed aggressively to close the canal.
The state of Illinois and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oppose the closing, saying it would disrupt commercial shipping and pose a flooding risk. Those concerns are legitimate, but not insurmountable, and the case for keeping Asian carp out of the Great Lakes is more compelling. It is essential that the federal government step into this dispute and take the steps necessary to protect the world’s largest fresh-water supply before it’s too late.
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To sign a petition asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the locks in the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal, go to |
Though many people living in Michigan have been slow to become aware of the peril posed by Asian carp, the threat has been clear for a decade. Since 2002, the Army Corps has operated an underwater electronic barrier designed to keep carp from entering the Chicago canal, and a second barrier was completed in 2007. But the International Joint Commission and many other groups fear that the barriers could be breached by a power outage or a flood
They are adamant in saying that nothing short of a physical separation of the Des Plaines River from the Chicago canal can guarantee that Asian carp will be halted. Last week, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm was in Washington, D.C., to meet with key officials from the Obama administration to discuss the need for urgency in addressing the issue of Asian carp.
In conjunction with that meeting, the White House Council on Environmental Quality announced a $78 million plan to protect the Great Lakes from carp, but Granholm called the plan disappointing and inadequate, and we agree. While the federal government has understood the threat of Asian carp, its response has been glacially slow. More studies and more promises of preventive measures to come are no longer enough. The crisis is at our doorstep today.
Michigan and other states are currently before the Supreme Court, trying to win a closing of the Chicago locks. U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, also has introduced legislation to accomplish the same thing.
The threat that Asian carp pose to the Great Lakes is real and potentially catastrophic. There have been estimates that it could compromise billions of dollars in economic activity and 800,000 Michigan jobs. If the surest chance of stopping the carp right now is to close the Chicago locks, then close the locks and protect our lakes while we still can.
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