Asian carp in North America

Asian carp, a group of invasive species of fish introduced into North America, pose a major threat to the ecology, environment, economy, and way of life in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada.

The term refers to a group of cyprinid fish species originally native to East Asia, of which include several are known to be invasive in the United States, and represent the most urgent potential danger to the ecology of the Great Lakes.

[3] The new name is a part of the Federal and multi-state campaign[4] to rebrand the destructive carps to the public as a healthy and responsible seafood option in order to decrease its numbers in U.S.

[7] The extremely high abundance of bighead and silver carp in the Mississippi basin has caused great concern because of the potential for competition with native species for food and living space.

[citation needed] Most Asian carp are low in heavy metal contaminants (such as mercury) because as mostly filter feeders and herbivores they are base consumers that are least affected by biomagnification.

[20] In June 2022,[21] the Illinois Department of Natural resources announced a campaign to rebrand Asian carp as Copi[22] as part of a Federal and state initiative to get the public to eat the invasive fish,[23] decrease its numbers in Midwestern waterways,[24] and prevent it invading the Great Lakes.

[25] The federal United States Environmental Protection Agency—the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative[26] is funding the Copi rebrand of Asian carp.

[34] Although many sources cite the record floods of the 1990s as the means by which Asian carp escaped aquaculture ponds into the Mississippi River,[35] this is apocryphal.

The EPA is concerned about the possibility of Asian carp migrating across the Saint Lawrence River divide, to the Great Lakes drainage basin.

[47] In October 2013, scientists for the first time documented that Asian carp had reproduced in Ohio's Sandusky River, a tributary of Lake Erie.

[51] In August 2016, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported that no evidence of Asian carp had been found in their sampling of the state's waters, or that of the Great Lakes system.

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce and American Waterways Operators both sided with Illinois in the lawsuit, filing affidavits (amicus briefs) and arguing that closing the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal would upset the movement of millions of tons of vital shipments of iron ore, coal, grain and other cargo, totaling more than $1.5 billion a year, and contribute to the loss of hundreds, perhaps thousands of jobs.

In response, Michigan noted the value of the sport fishing and recreation industry, already heavily affected in other states with large carp populations, would drop by more than $3.0 billion and result in the loss of at least 4,000 jobs.

The court determined that if the Great Lakes were hydrologically separated from the Mississippi River Basin, it would violate federal laws requiring the US Army Corps of Engineers to maintain a route of navigable water ways between the two systems.

[58] The United States Geological Survey collaborated with the University of Minnesota to prepare an extensive report on the use of environmental deoxyribonucleic acid (eDNA) to detect a species in a waterway.

[50] In 2011, the National Park Service developed and published an action plan, which outlined recommendations on how to stop the spread of Asian carp in Minnesota.

Included in this legislation is the requirement for the Army Corps of Engineers to shut down the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock if Asian carp are detected in the portion of the Mississippi River near the Twin Cities.

Senator Amy Klobuchar told the Pierce County Herald, "Asian carp not only pose a serious threat to Minnesota's environment, and they also threaten the recreation and fishing industries that play a key role in the state's economy.

We must do everything we can to stop the further spread of this invasive species into our lakes and rivers, and this legislation will help the state take action to protect Minnesota's waterways".

[65] The results of a 20-year study in the Upper Mississippi Basin show that the Asian carp population out-competes native sport-fish species.

[29] One Louisiana fisherman made the claim in 2018 that he could fish the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers for four hours and net 47,000 pounds of Asian carp.

[66] LDWF invasive species biologist Bobby Reed feels that the lack of anglers targeting the Asian carp are allowing the populations in the state to continue to grow.

The United States and Canadian authorities have been working together to determine where the fish originated and how to stop a potential invasion into the Great Lakes,[71] however in early September three more grass carp were found near the Toronto Islands.

[79] Other concerns with the use of sound can include damage to underwater structures, negative impacts on navigation, public safety, and potential weakening of shore lines.

[81] U.S. Representative Dave Camp from Michigan's 4th district and Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan introduced the Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today (CARPACT), which directs the Army Corps of Engineers to take action to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes, which is estimated to cost more than $30 million in 2010.

"[84] In December 2009, USACE shut down one of the electric barriers for maintenance, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources responded by dumping 2,200 gallons of the toxin rotenone into the canal.

[86] The Stop Asian Carp Act of 2011 was introduced to require the Secretary of the Army to study the feasibility of the hydrological separation, such as electric barriers, of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins.

[87] The act provided 30 days for the Secretary of the Army to begin a study on the best means of implementing a hydrological separation of the Great Lakes to prevent the introduction of Asian carp.

The study requirements included researching techniques that prevented the spread of carp from flooding, wastewater and storm water infrastructure, waterway safety operations and barge and recreational traffic.

[88] The legislation provides direction to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete their study within 18 months on how to separate the Great Lakes from the Mississippi watersheds.