Battling Asian Carp
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Congressman LaTourette has agreed to become a co-sponsor of the
Stop Asian Carp Act, which will be introduced soon. The bill
is intended to help keep Asian carp and other invasive species out
of the Great Lakes.
Asian carp are one of the world's most aggressive invasive
species, and can cause mayhem on lake ecosystems by consuming
everything in their path. They come in many varieties, and can grow
to be 6 feet long and 100 pounds.
This legislation will direct the Army Corps of Engineers to
separate the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins, in order to
prevent the destructive fish from invading the Great Lakes and
wreaking havoc on Lake Erie.
If preventative measures are not taken, Asian carp may do more
than $7 billion in damage to Great Lakes industries which in turn
could result in staggering job losses. The Great Lakes fishing
industry supports more than 800,000 jobs, and this bill will
prevent those jobs from being devoured by Asian carp.
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