Asian Carp bill headed to WH
Thursday, December 02, 2010
U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R-OH) today announced that the
House has passed a bill that could prevent Asian carp from entering
the Great Lakes and Lake Erie. The Senate passed the bill on
November 17. With House passage, it will be sent to the White
House for the President's signature.
LaTourette was a supporter of legislation in the House to
control the spread of Asian carp, and supported the Senate bill
yesterday. He said S. 1421, the Asian Carp Prevention and
Control Act, was necessary because a live Asian carp was found June
22 on the Michigan side of the Army Corps of Engineer's electric
barrier in Chicago. The bill makes it a crime to import Asian
carp into the U.S., just as it's a crime to import zebra mussels,
another invasive species.
He said carp were found past the barriers a few miles from Lake
Michigan. Asian carp were found spawning in the Wabash River in
Illinois, not far from a connection to the Maumee River, which
feeds into Lake Erie.
"If Asian carp invade the Great Lakes it will be
devastating. These massive fish can jump into boats and have
voracious appetites that will wreak havoc with native Great Lakes
fish," LaTourette said. "It's imperative to thwart their entrance
to the Great Lakes."
The carp are huge, often four feet long and weighing up to 100
pounds, and can eat half their body weight in a day. The EPA
has said that researchers "expect that Asian carp would disrupt the
food chain that supports the native fish of the Great Lakes."
The EPA also says "their large size, ravenous appetites, and rapid
rate of reproduction….could pose a significant risk to the Great
Lakes Ecosystem."
LaTourette said the invasive species could pose a tremendous
threat to the Great Lakes' $7.5 billion fishing industry and the
800,000 jobs it supports.
As former co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, LaTourette has
been very involved in invasive species issues impacting the Great
Lakes. He and former Sen. John Glenn teamed up to pass the
reauthorization of the landmark National Invasive Species Act, or
NISA.