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Asian carp might invade Great Lakes

December 7, 2009

State officials are hoping to fend off some unwelcome visitors with their efforts to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, and MSU professors are stressing the importance of stopping any invasion before it starts.

Asian carp DNA has been found on the Great Lakes side of an electric barrier meant to keep the carp out of the lakes, said Brian Roth, an assistant professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

The carp are an invasive species that could have negative effects on the native species in the lake and the fishing industry, he said.

“If Asian carp make it into the Great Lakes, we don’t have any idea what they could do to our lakes,” he said. “(They) can become extraordinarily abundant … (and have) negative effects on native species.”

The Asian carp rapidly grow and sometimes can become larger than their few native predators, Roth said. The carp also are filter feeders and could eliminate food sources for lower members of the food chain, he said.

There are some efforts in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife to obtain money to do predictive work in the state, which would determine whether certain areas in Michigan are vulnerable to invasion, Roth said.

Roth said proposals have not been written and he was not sure how much money would be needed, but some action could be taken in several months.

Concerns that the Asian carp could be nearing the Great Lakes have been on state officials’ radar for some time, said Ken DeBeaussaert, the director of the Office of the Great Lakes in the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

An electrical barrier was created to prevent the carp from entering the Great Lakes, but DNA evidence that shows the Asian carp have moved beyond it is concerning, he said.

“We’re concerned about the new evidence that indicates the carp may have moved along the barrier,” he said.

State officials, such as Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Lt. Gov. John Cherry, are involved in efforts to keep the Asian carp from successfully entering Lake Michigan, including sending letters to federal officials urging action.

“We know the kinds of impacts we’ve seen in areas along the Mississippi where they have come to dominate,” DeBeaussaert said. “Taking the precautions that are necessary to prevent that from occurring needs to be our focus here.”

The Asian carp represent some unknowns, Chair of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michael Jones said.

“(It’s) completely unknown how much of an effect they would have on the native fish in the Great Lakes,” he said.

There is enough evidence that the carp will have a negative impact on the Great Lakes to pursue prevention efforts, but a worst-case scenario is difficult to predict, Roth said.

“(It’s) important that we don’t know a lot about how Asian carp would affect the Great Lakes,” he said. “Prevention is a lot better … than having them in the Great Lakes and having a negative effect and finding out afterward.”

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