The Problem of Invasive Species

I'm often asked what is the most pressing problem 

for our Great Lakes. 

My answer:

Invasive species.

When a new species is dropped into an ecosystem in which it has never existed, it often has a huge survival advantage and can toss the entire system out of balance for a time. 

As I've walked the shorelines of our vast inland seas, I've often seen evidence of the destructive power of invasives.

While vigilance and legislation (e.g. strict ballast water treatment laws) can help prevent transport of new species into the Great Lakes Basin, what can be done to control them once they have established a hold in the lakes?

INVASIVEORE.ORG has some ideas...

and recipes!

From their website:  

Our mission here at Invasivore is to be your one-stop guide for devouring Invasive Species, those organisms which have been moved around the world, damaging their new surroundings.  Think of it as reasonable revenge for the harm these species cause.  The word “invasivore” comes from combining “Invasive Species” with the latin for “devour” as in “carnivore”.  Thus invasivore = one who eats invasive species.

From prehistoric times, humans have had an amazing track-record of severely reducing the populations of species we eat.  Indeed, it seems that much of the time we can’t stop ourselves.  Can we tap that hunger to reduce the impacts of harmful invasive species?  We think the answer is Yes!

Alewife, an invasive species native to the Atlantic Ocean long established in the Great Lakes

Check out all the recipes on their site, including one for 

Alewife & Cucumber Crackers.

Separation of the Mississippi and Great Lakes Water System

The alarms are finally going off regarding the environmental destruction caused by invasive species. Six attorneys general in the Midwest have called for a coalition to demand the separation of the Mississippi River system from the Great Lakes water system.

From the AP news story:

"...the officials invited colleagues in 27 other states to join a lobbying campaign to separate the two watersheds, contending they have as much to lose as the Great Lakes do from migration of aquatic plants and animals that can do billions in economic damage and starve out native species.

"We have Asian carp coming into Lake Michigan and zebra mussels moving out of the Great Lakes and into the heart of our country, both of which are like poison to the ecology of our waters," Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said. "This is not just a Great Lakes issue. By working together, we hope to put pressure on the federal government to act before it's too late."

Zebra mussels (in photos) have caused the power industry BILLIONS of dollars in the 25 years they have inhabited the Great Lakes. The mussels clog intake pipes which must be continually cleaned of the tenacious invaders. The zebra mussels have also negatively impacted the fishing industry in the Great Lakes by disrupting the ecosystem.

If the Asian Carp enter the lakes and establish a breeding population, they will out-compete native and stocked species in the lakes. The round goby (an invasive fish transported from the Black Sea to the Great Lakes in ballast water) is already doing this to the perch in the lake.

Separation of these water systems appears to be a logical and necessary step to protect our nation's waters from invasives. Another no-brainer is to FINALLY mandate that all ballast water must be treated so that no new invasives get a free ride from the other side of the world to our Great Lakes.

To see the dramatic spread of the zebra mussel, click on the dynamic map HERE.

Detroit Free Press Series on the Great Lakes

Michigan is a state comprised of two almost-touching peninsulas. We are surrounded on three sides by water.

Vast water: our Great Lakes.

Michigan is the only state that touches 4 of the 5 Great Lakes. Our edges are mostly defined by water.

We Michiganders are peninsular people.

And we Michiganders are going through a tough time economically, as is most of the country. The Free Press is doing a series of articles titled:

"Water shaped Michigan's past:
Now it's a key to state's future"

From the first article in the series:

"Michigan grew up on the Great Lakes. It can grow anew from their cool, abundant waters -- if they are used wisely and protected.

The greatest natural resource in all of North America and perhaps on our planet, the sweet water seas brought people to Michigan's peninsulas and moved Michigan ore, timber and manufactured goods to markets around the world.

The lake waters nourish our crops, slake our thirst, cool our machinery and change our weather -- sometimes rather abruptly. They provide fun, fish and spectacular vistas for millions of people.

In a world where 1 in every 6 people lacks daily access to fresh water, the Great Lakes are a treasure of immeasurable value.

And yet they have been exploited, depleted and polluted. They are threatened by invaders, foreign and domestic, some already in the waters or on the way, others on dry lands."

This is an important look at our lakes and how vital they are to Michigan, our nation, North America, and, possibly, the world.

Read the entire first article HERE.

Invasive Species

The Asian carp is the 'poster child' of invasive species, but do you know that there are over 150 non-native species already established in the Great Lakes? From bivalves from Russia, to plants from Europe, to fresh water-tolerant species from the Atlantic, our Great Lakes are already populated with invasives that continually weaken and erode the ecosystem.

The Asian carp is a big and current threat. It has been making its way to the Great Lakes for many years and is now very near Lake Michigan.

A permanent solution IS possible.

Tom Kelly, Executive Director of the Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay, Michigan, presented his recommendations at the recent US Army Corps of Engineers and Mississippi River Interbasin Study meeting in Traverse City.

See his recommendations here:

http://schoolship.blogspot.com/2011/01/tom-kellys-comments-to-glmris-scoping.html

Asian Carp, Quagga, and Pollution...and that's just the beginning...

I love this photo shot from far above the earth on a cloudless day over the Great Lakes. It gives you a sense of the massive size and even depths of the lakes (Erie and Ontario are shallower and the greenish hues are probably algae blooms). The photo is clickable if you want to enlarge it to look more closely at each lake. Just click the 'back' button on your browser to return here.

90% of America's fresh, surface water is in these lakes, and about 20% of the entire world's fresh, surface water.

I've been asked many times what the ONE THING is that we can do to protect Lake Michigan and all of our Great Lakes. Is it stopping the Asian carp? Is it getting rid of the quagga mussel? How about cleaning up pollution?

The truth is that there is a constellation of threats to our Great Lakes.

As with any complex problem, the solution is usually equally complex.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is a multi-year approach to targeting these problems with not only legislation, but with funding.

EPA Chief Lisa Jackson announced the latest round of grants this week. She says:

“These grants are a long-overdue investment in a place that is home to millions of Americans, billions of dollars in economic activity, and 95 percent of our nation’s fresh surface water. It’s essential that we act today, and set a new standard of care for the next generation. President Obama has made protecting the Great Lakes a national priority. EPA is investing in a diverse network of partners to put boots on the ground and boats in the water to begin this historic Great Lakes restoration effort.”

Oh, there is one important thing we all can do. Write your representatives in Congress in support of the GLRI.

Asian Carp within 6 Miles of Lake Michigan

A 20 pound, 34 inch Asian carp has been found PAST the electric barriers, just 6 miles from Lake Michigan.

The Honorable Senator Stabenow's call for action is below. In a letter she sent, she says:

"The Permanent Prevention of Asian Carp Act requires the Army Corps of Engineers to follow the recommendations of top experts in the field and expedite their study detailing the engineering options to permanently separate the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes."

Asian Carp Containment Measures Working?

There was another big fish kill in the Little Calumet River on the south side of Chicago this past week. Floating fish were collected and this time even the dead fish that sank to the bottom were retrieved by divers.

Results?

NO Asian carp found in the 10,000 pounds of dead fish in the treated 2-mile stretch. This is good news, but continued monitoring and containment measures need to be in place.

A third electric barrier is under construction and will add to the gauntlet these invasive fish must run to reach the lake. Will it be enough? Time will tell.



Meanwhile, the invasive round goby (photo below) has displaced the perch in Lake Michigan in the last ten years. During my Lake Trek, I spoke with anyone casting a line into the water. Everywhere I went, the story was the same: the perch were going or gone because of the gobies.

There is still a demand for perch, though, so one innovative company is raising the fish in massive tanks in an old warehouse in Milwaukee.

It's kind of sad when the lake is no longer safe for fish.

Let's make sure the Asian carp never get into Lake Michigan.

Poisons and Nets and Shocks

The Asian carp were imported to eat algae in fish farms and sanitation pools and were flushed by floods into the Mississippi River.

The Asian carp have been spawning and spreading from the waters of the southern Mississippi River for decades.

So, for decades they have been reproducing and migrating up the Mississippi, supplanting native fish.

So -- HUGE leap of logic -- the Asian carp have made their way to the rivers and canals around Chicago. They've even been able to get past the electric barriers set up kind of last minute to stop them from entering Lake Michigan.

So, now, poisons and nets and shocks will be employed to keep them from colonizing the Great Lakes. Poisoning in the Cal-Sag channel will begin on May 20. Nets and electro-fishing will be employed along the Chicago River soon.

I find it hard to believe that a more elegant solution wasn't available sooner. Like, maybe, only using male fish in the ponds in the first place (if they escape, they can't reproduce). Or, maybe, doing one poisoning immediately following the flood that spilled these voracious fish from the other side of the world into the Mississippi. Maybe they could have been dealt with at the source instead of letting them colonize hundreds of miles of waterways.

This is, of course, hindsight.

I'm just a little put out that these fish are now knocking on the door to my lake, Lake Michigan.

Poisons and Nets and Shocks, indeed.

Supreme Court Will Not Close Locks

Once again the Supreme Court has failed to act decisively to stop the Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan. It seems contrary that the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will go forward with $475 million in funding to restore the Great Lakes, while an imminent threat to those very lakes is not being met with action. Money has been allocated for yet another electric barrier, but the carp have already evaded the two in the canals.

Read the account of the decision here: Christian Science Monitor

The Asian Carp Saga Continues

I watched the live video feed from the public meeting in Ypsilanti, today to discuss plans and get recommendations on Asian carp control efforts.

Who was there: Senior representatives from
International Joint Commission;
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
U.S. Coast Guard;
Great Lakes states, provinces, municipalities and tribes
(invited);
White House Council on Environmental Quality; and
Scientific experts

It seems that everyone (regardless of their personal interests) want to keep the invasive carp from establishing themselves in Lake Michigan. That was encouraging. What's disheartening is that there is little concensus on how that can be definitively accomplished.

Senator Debbie Stabenow made a personal appearance at the meeting and addressed the panel with not only a passionate defense of the lake, but with the offer of funds needed to solve this problem, to ensure that the carp never establish themselves in the lake. As I've mentioned here before, she has introduced legislation to keep the carp out of the lakes.

Well done, Senator Stabenow.

Today's meeting will be posted soon on this site: http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/live/carp_chicago/index.html
and the February 12 meeting in Chicago is already archived there.

One very good idea that got around the 'close the locks/don't close the locks' polarizing argument was to back the carp up by eradicating them further back in the canals and to putting more barriers (either sonic or electric) further away from the lakeshore.

Almost $80 million has been allocated to keeping these invasive fish out of the Great Lakes.

Asian Carp Invasion Update

The fight to keep the Asian carp from invading Lake Michigan continues. While the Supreme Court failed to take decisive action earlier this month, the case is still before them. And work is continuing at both the state and national level.

Here's an update from the Attorney General of Michigan, Mike Cox:

Late yesterday the Obama administration set a February 8th date for a meeting with the governors from Michigan and Wisconsin. If Governor Granholm can get the locks closed in such a summit it would be good news for Michigan and the Great Lakes. Meanwhile, I will continue to pursue all avenues to ensure we protect the Great Lakes and our jobs from the threat of Asian Carp.

The U.S. Supreme Court is still considering Michigan's request to close Chicago-area locks connecting carp-infested waterways to Lake Michigan and has set a deadline for other states and interested parties to submit briefs by February 19. President Obama continues to defend the narrow interests of his home state but others are beginning to act.

Over the course of the last week, thanks in large part to your efforts, new bi-partisan efforts to protect the Lakes have been launched by lawmakers in our State and Nation's capitol.

Congressman Camp and Senator Stabenow launched the CARP Act, Michigan's full Congressional delegation has signed a letter asking the President's administration to act quickly and state lawmakers have formed the Michigan House Shoreline Caucus and are preparing to file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court backing Michigan's request to protect jobs and close the locks.

Fighting the Asian Carp Another Way

After the Supreme Court sided with protecting the minimal economic interests of the state of Illinois in their decision to let the locks continue operating in the waterways leading to Lake Michigan, I wasn't sure what other actions could be taken. Enter the Honorable Debbie Stabenow, Senator for the state of Michigan. She has introduced the CARP ACT in Congress.

If passed, it will take decisive action to keep the carp from reaching the lake including:

Immediate closure of certain Chicago-area locks: Directs the Army Corps of Engineers to close the O'Brien Lock and Dam and the Chicago Controlling Works until a controlled lock operations strategy is developed.

Immediate installation of interim barriers : Directs the Army Corps of Engineers to install barriers in the North Shore Channel and the Grand and Little Calumet Rivers to prevent the migration of bighead and silver carps into Lake Michigan, as well as between the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) and between the Illinois & Michigan (I&M) Canal and the CSSC to prevent carp from entering the Canal during a flood event.

Enhancement of existing barriers and monitoring systems: Includes granting authority to the Army Corps of Engineers to acquire all real estate interests necessary for the construction, operation and maintenance of the barrier system.

Mitigating the impact on commerce and the City of Chicago: Instructs the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct two studies: one to develop a strategy to mitigate the effects of this bill on existing commerce in the canals and rivers, and one to abate the effects on Chicago flood control.

Preventing and eradicating Asian Carp: Grants the Army Corps of Engineers new authority to eliminate and prevent the spread of Asian Carp through the use of fish toxicant, commercial fishing and netting, harvesting, and other means necessary.

This points out the wisdom of a three-branch democracy. Checks and balances, my friends, balances and checks.

Let's encourage the Executive and Legislative branches to bring some balance back to the system after the recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. If this decision stands unchallenged, we will move from a democracy to a corpocracy where corporations control the government. If that happens, the government formerly 'of the people, by the people, for the people' will no longer exist.

Asian Carp before the Supreme Court

This Friday, January 15, the case to keep the Asian Carp out of Lake Michigan will be argued before the Supreme Court. [Since this is a matter involving more than one state it must be judged in the highest court.] The state of Michigan is requesting that the locks on the canals around Chicago be shut to permanently bar the fish from entering the lake. The argument to keep the canals open will site that closing the canals will hurt the economy by making goods transported through the locks more expensive since they will have to be moved via rail or truck.

The non-profit group The Alliance for the Great Lakes has noted that only a small proportion of goods transported around Chicago actually go through the locks, and the the lake could be cut off from the canals minimal impact on the flow of goods.

Let us all hope that the court is more focused on the future of the lake than anything else.

Sign the online petition to stop the Asian carp from reaching lake Michigan: http://stopasiancarp.com/

Update: The Supreme Court sided with the state of Illinois and will NOT order the locks to be closed.

The Asian Carp -- closer to the lake than previously thought

One Asian carp was found in the area that was treated with Rotenone (a fish poison).

The connection between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River system is manmade. It is the Sanitary and Ship Canal and it was dug in the 1890s. We are able to disconnect these two water systems. Shipping commodities around the Chicago area would have to be modified a bit, but most of the shipping within the canal systems does NOT go out into the lake anyway.

Even a temporary closure of the canals would be wise in order to determine how well the electric barriers are working and how they can be optimized or augmented with other barriers.

Here is a list of the decision makers in this battle:

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

For questions about Rotenone application
Stacey Solano (217) 299-3733 stacey.solano@illinois.gov
Chris McCloud (217) 299-7128 chris.mccloud@illinois.gov

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
For questions about the electric barriers/maintenance
Lynne Whelan (312) 846-5330 lynne.e.whelan@usace.army.mil

U.S. Coast Guard
For questions about the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal closure
Lt. Dave French (216) 902-6021 David.M.French@uscg.mil

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
For questions about the impact of Asian carp on the Great Lakes
Anne Rowan (312) 353-9391 Rowan.Anne@epamail.epa.gov
Phillippa Cannon (312) 353-6218 (773) 271-3370 (cell) Cannon.Phillippa@epamail.epa.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
For questions about the impact of Asian carp on the Great Lakes
Ashley P. Spratt (612) 713-5314 ashley_spratt@fws.gov

Asian Carp Get Closer to Lake Michigan

We have a rare opportunity here. In the past, we haven't learned about new invasive species in the Great Lakes until it has established itself and, usually, destabilized the ecosystem even further. With the Asian Carp (which is making its way toward Lake Michigan via the Sanitary and Ship Canal), we have a window of time in which to take action to prevent their arrival in the lake.

There are currently two electric barriers in the canal to stop the fish from reaching the lake, but there is concern that they may not be entirely effective. Recent testing of the canal water was positive for the asian carp DNA. This means that the fish are closer to the lake than previously thought.

(Photo: The Calumet River flowing into Lake Michigan)

The decisive step of poisoning a stretch of the canal to kill all fish there is happening today. This will allow maintenance to be done on the electric barriers and also allow researchers to find out if any of the carp have reached the barriers. Read about it in the Detroit Free Press article. This is not a permanent fix for the problem, though, and flooding of the Des Plaines River could sweep the fish past the electric barriers.

Shipping in the Great Lakes is a multi-billion dollar industry. It is this industry that has transported the majority of the invasive species (from around the world) to the Great Lakes. The zebra mussel (from the Caspian Sea), the quagga mussel (from the Ukraine), and the round goby (from Europe) all hitched rides in the ballast water of ships from fresh water ports around the world and were then dumped into our lakes. How costly is it to treat ballast water so that nothing survives from these far off ports to attack our lakes? Certainly nowhere near the billions of dollars that just these three invasive species have cost the Great Lakes.

There are two major ports on the south end of the lake. I walked by both of them. Ocean going vessels can dock here, then barges take goods inland via canals and rivers to the Mississippi. This is a multi-billion dollar industry. How costly, really, would it be to seal off the canals permanently and transport cargo a short way overland to nearby rivers that connect to the Mississippi? It can't be as costly as turning our lakes over to these voracious, invasive fish.

Invasive Species: The Asian Carp

The Asian Carp has colonized the Mississippi River and devoured most of the other fish in that ecosystem. Boaters on the river are routinely whacked in the face by these fish when they leap out of the water as boats pass by.

These fish can grow up to four feet long and weigh 100 pounds (photo credit: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency).

The electric barriers in the Chicago Shipping and Sanitary Canal are in place and active, but there is still a risk that the carp could enter Lake Michigan if the Des Plaines River floods north of the electric gates. This could allow the carp to circumvent the barriers and gain access to Lake Michigan.

In fact, it was a flood that allowed the carp to get into the Mississippi River.

Carp are in the canal just 25 miles from Lake Michigan. If they get into the lake, it's game over for the other fish in the lakes.

Alert your representatives in Congress to this issue at:

http://bit.ly/4y6V6N