Resolution: Addressing the Invasion Threat of Asian Carp
Adopted on October 15, 2002

Whereas, the prospective invasion of Asian carp (including bighead carp and silver carp) has been identified as a major threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem; and

Whereas, bighead carp and silver carp were spotted in the summer of 2002 within 25 miles of Lake Michigan in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which connects the Mississippi River and Great Lakes systems; and

Whereas, it is imperative that aggressive action be taken to safeguard the ecological and economic integrity of the Great Lakes from this threat; and

Whereas, the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species have played a key role in providing guidance in terms of information/education, research coordination and policy and legislation to address current and prospective invasion threats of aquatic nuisance species (ANS).

Therefore, be it resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission urges the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with other appropriate federal and state agencies, to immediately begin construction of a second, permanent dispersal barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and to purchase and install backup power capability at the existing dispersal barrier; and

Be it further resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission urges the Congress to reauthorize the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 through the passage of the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2002 (NAISA) to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species, such as the Asian carp, through such innovative control programs as the dispersal barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal; and

Be it further resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission re-affirms its commitment to ongoing efforts to develop, in conjunction with the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, a strategy for rapid response and a system for early detection and monitoring that will address invasions such as the Asian carp; and

Be it finally resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission will continue to work with the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species to advance information/education efforts with a focus on interruption of potential pathways of introduction to prevent the invasion of the Asian carp as well as other injurious species.

Unanimously adopted by the Great Lakes Commission at its Annual Meeting, October 15, 2002 in Cleveland, Ohio.