Invasive carp are taking over the United States, and they have their sights set on the Great Lakes. Officials are set to spend whatever it takes to stop them.
What's happening?
Not to be confused with other carp, invasive carp outcompete fellow fish for resources, growing and reproducing at astonishing rates and lowering water quality. Since being introduced from Asia in the 1970s to control algal blooms in confined areas, they escaped to the Mississippi River Basin and beyond.
Now, the federal government will spend $1 billion to protect the Great Lakes from bighead, silver, and black carp as well as other invasive species, Newsweek reported. Michigan will pitch in $64 million and Illinois $50 million.
The Army Corps of Engineers will erect a barrier at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet, Illinois, about 25 miles southwest of Chicago, which would keep the creatures from the Des Plaines River while maintaining commercial shipping avenues.
"They consume large quantities of phytoplankton, which form the basis of the lakes' ecosystem," Newsweek stated. "... These invasive carp also have no natural predators in the Great Lakes."
Why is this important?
Invasive species cost Americans $21 billion every year, and the carp could destroy the Great Lakes. Not only would they wreck the ecosystem, but they would also endanger people; the large fish can leap over 10 feet out of the water, according to a news release about the barrier project.
If invasive carp established a breeding population in the Great Lakes, it would cost more than $1 billion and impact tens of thousands of jobs in the $20 billion fishing and boating industries, per the release.
Removing carp from an environment is almost impossible, the U.S. Geological Survey reports. A 10-day effort at the end of last year set a record with 750,000 pounds of the fish removed from the Illinois River. It was a state high and believed to mark a freshwater milestone in the U.S.
Despite harvesting about 1 million pounds of carp every year, though, the animals still thrive in the Land of Lincoln, necessitating other management tactics.
"The Great Lakes hold countless memories for many of us, from catching our first fish to watching loved ones play on their shores," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel stated. "They are central to our Pure Michigan identity. This landmark agreement marks a significant victory in protecting these lakes from invasive, dangerous carp, ensuring the joy and beauty of these waters remain for all to enjoy."
What's being done about invasive carp?
The federal funding for the barrier comes from the Biden administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The project partnership agreement is also the first with two non-federal sponsors.
Municipalities across the country are working on various ways to keep carp from entering certain waters, including via sound barriers and $100 bounties. Similar methods have been used to control other invasive species, such as "a water-filled elevator" in the Chesapeake Bay to keep out northern snakehead.
When it's too late, they ask people to eat them. One way to make the "ugly" fish seem appetizing is by rebranding it as "copi."
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