Battling Carp Update
Monday, March 28, 2011
Battling Carp Update
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (UFWS) has made it
official: bighead carp has been added to the federal list of
injurious wildlife. This means it is now illegal to
import or transport live bighead carp or its eggs across state
lines except by permit, per the Lacey Act, which was signed into
law in 1900 by President William McKinley of Ohio, the country's
25th president. Violation of the Lacey Act, which protects
plants and wildlife, could result in six months in prison and a
$5,000 fine for individuals or $10,000 for an organization.
The addition of bighead carp to this list means the federal
government now recognizes that bighead carp have a devastating
effect on lake ecosystems. It is another step in the battle
that will prevent these gluttonous fish from consuming 1.5 million
jobs and $62 billion in wages from Great Lakes industries.
At a recent hearing with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, I
asked the director why the process of adding invasive species to
the federal injurious wildlife list can take years to complete.
He agreed the process can be very lengthy, and said he'd
explore ways to shorten the process. In December 2010, after
tolerating delays in getting the bighead carp on the injurious
wildlife list, Congress passed legislation adding the species to
the list. It is now law. As a supporter of the Stop
Asian Carp Act, I will continue push this issue to the forefront on
Capitol Hill in an effort to prevent this species from wreaking
havoc on our Great Lakes.
ShareThis