While Washington dithers and delays, Asian carp continue their relentless migration throughout the Great Lakes region. Two senators who represent Lakes states, Ohio Republican Rob Portman and Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow, propose bipartisan legislation that could help block a carp invasion.
A similar bill is before the House. But if Congress and the Obama Administration don't display a sense of urgency about the issue, it's unlikely that government bureaucrats will either.
The bill would accelerate the leisurely timetable advanced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for addressing the risk posed by silver and bighead carp, which disrupt the food chain and threaten to devour other species in the waterways they invade. The Corps now plans to offer options for keeping the big fish -- along with other aquatic species -- out of the Great Lakes by the end of 2013, and to present a final proposal by 2015.
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That isn't soon enough, given the inroads carp already have made. The proposed legislation would mandate a progress report from the Corps within three months of its enactment, and a final proposal for action within 18 months.
The options already are well known. The Chicago Area Waterway System connects the Mississippi River basin, where carp have taken hold, with the Great Lakes watershed. The ultimate solution is erecting physical barriers that would separate Lake Michigan from the engineered Chicago system and permanently deflect carp from their primary entry point to the lakes.
But resistance by Illinois politicians has delayed action. They cite what they call the high cost, inconvenience, and disruption to shipping of that alternative. Meanwhile, several temporary expedients are in place: maintaining electric gates, catching large numbers of carp before they reach these fences, and nervously checking the water beyond the fences for carp DNA.
Other proposals including poisoning carp and manipulating the temperature of the water in which they swim. None is a permanent corrective.
The proposed legislation also is designed to block carp from entering the Great Lakes via other rivers and tributaries. It directs the Corps to study how to maintain shipping while the anti-carp offensive proceeds.
The need to keep carp from destroying the Great Lakes' ecosystem cannot be overstated. The lakes are the world's largest source of fresh water. They support a $7 billion fishing industry, largely in Lake Erie, a $16 billion recreational boating industry, and billions of dollars more in tourism spending. These mean hundreds of thousands of jobs, tax revenue, and economic growth for Ohio, Michigan, and other Lakes states.
But the lakes' fragile ecosystem is jeopardized by a series of threats: invasive species, toxic algae blooms, and other forms of pollution. These threats demand action now. If Congress wants the Corps to get serious about protecting the Great Lakes, it can set an example.
First Published May 4, 2012, 4:00 a.m.
