Five members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation have introduced a bill to close the lock and dam at St. Anthony Falls if invasive fish are found north of Hastings.
The reaction from this corner is: “Why wait until Asian carp reach Hastings?”
In our view, tomorrow would not be too soon to close the lock and dam if we could ensure the quality of Minnesota lakes and rivers. We know the carp are in Missouri and southern Illinois. The destructive fish are spreading fast and closing lock and dam barriers along the Mississippi is thought to be best way to deter their encroachment.
The Uppper Mississippi Conservation and River Protection (CARP) Act would also let Minnesota and other states tap into a $50 million federal fund to control the spread of Asian carp. Let’s take this federal money and couple it with Minnesota Legacy money raised by the recent voter-approved sales tax hike to stop these carp dead in their aquatic tracks.
Introducing the bill are Democrats Sen. Al Franken, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Tim Walz, Rep. Keith Ellison and Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen.
Minnesota’s barge industry, which ships grain, sand and other materials on the river, is sure to fight the bill, but we would argue the state’s economy has considerably more at stake in its fight to protect Minnesota’s lakes and rivers.
Congress should act swiftly to pass this bill. It’s difficult to exaggerate the damage these voracious fish can cause to Minnesota’s environment.
— Mike O’Rourke
Comments (10)
Add commentInvasive Carp
Agreed! We all need to take the issue of invasive species seriously. Our lakes and rivers are one of the things that draw people (read tourism) to the Brainerd Lakes area.
we can take action but its too late
How you suppose fish spread from lake to lake in the past, before man? Birds. Man didnt plant pike, walleyes, lake trout, etc in the extreme remote landlocked Canadian lakes.
Eagles and osprays grab and drop fish all the time. You can put up as big of a barrier as you want. It may take a little time, but natural laws will make the spread happen of these carp, especially since they generally sit just below the surface and will be easy targets for birds.
Exotics are here to stay and spread, no matter what extreme measures the government does.
Carp
You know how much fun a guy could have with a shotgun in the boat. Lot better than trap/skeet anyday.
Carp
Yeah, that's the solution...
Mike like your above
Article says. (Is thought to be best) Like PD always says give a farmer a gun & there wont be much left. Now just how green would it be to move all that grain & stuff by truck?
Asian carp can't spawn in lakes
www.angelfire.com/mn3/dnrdocuments/grasscarpbiology.html
The biggest threat they pose is from mass imigration so that's where we need to direct our efforts.
Asian carp can't spawn in lakes
www.angelfire.com/mn3/dnrdocuments/grasscarpbiology.html
they say asian carp cant spawn in lakes
they say asian carp cant spawn in lakes, but from reports I have read, that theory is under protest as we speak.
With that said, any lake that has a river or stream flowing in it can support populations, which happens to be a large number of lakes in the area. So they say the eggs need a mile or more to flow freely down stream to hatch. I beg to differ.
Isnt it funny how salmon were never suppose to be able to spawn in the tributaries of the great lakes and now they do to the point where the Michigan fisheries doesnt even have to stock salmon anymore in several areas? When it comes to reproduction, mother nature will say what happens, not man.
Put all your eggs into the mass immigration and you still wont stop the spread when eagles grab 14 three pounders and drops them on the other side of the barrier. There is no stopping them. Its a waste of resources and money.
I say put your resources and money in research on how to poison them without killing any other fish. That is the only hope to stopping them.
You're entitled to your
You're entitled to your opinion but that doesn't change the facts.
It takes at least 70 miles of a major river to provide the current and turbulence needed for the eggs to hatch.
Asian Carp
Whether or not these can spawn in lakes isn't the point. Asian (flying) carp are a danger to boaters fisherman and the ecosystem. How to deal with them BEFORE they get here is the point in my opinion.