Resolution: Actions to Address the Threat to the Great Lakes from Asian Carp
Adopted on February 23, 2010

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Whereas, the potential invasion of Asian carp poses an imminent threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem and economy and the history of invasive species in the Great Lakes shows that non-native species can devastate local ecosystems, out-compete local species, and cause widespread economic impacts; and

Whereas, a physical specimen of Asian carp was retrieved 500 feet north of the Lockport Lock and Dam in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has reported positive carp eDNA in water samples taken in the Calumet Harbor of Lake Michigan; and

Whereas, if populations of Asian carp become established in the Great Lakes they will be difficult if not impossible to control or eradicate; and

Whereas, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will lose some of its authority to execute control strategies and actions after Sept. 30, 2010, and the Obama Administration has proposed only $400,000 in the Corps’ budget for Fiscal Year 2011 for the study of interbasin transfer of aquatic invasive species between the Great Lakes, Mississippi River and other watersheds; and

Whereas, substantial disagreement exists among the Great Lakes Commission’s members as to the need for, the effectiveness of, and the costs/benefits of certain short-term actions that have been proposed by some of its members to prevent further migration of Asian carp toward Lake Michigan; and

Whereas, there is consensus among the Commission’s members that certain actions will inhibit the further movement north and potential establishment in the Great Lakes of Asian carp and will assist in safeguarding the ecological and economic integrity of the Great Lakes.

Therefore, Be It Resolved, the Great Lakes Commission calls on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to accelerate the timetable for full operation of the dispersal barrier system and to establish structural measures to prevent the inadvertent introduction of Asian carp from floodwaters of the Des Plaines River into the CSSC; and

Be It Further Resolved, the Great Lakes Commission urges Congress to reinforce the authority for and provide funding to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies to take action beyond Sept. 30, 2010, to implement any measures necessary to prevent further migration of any Asian carp and to continue aggressive monitoring and response efforts in Chicago-area waterways; and

Be It Further Resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission recognizes that the best permanent solution for the health of both the Mississippi River and Great Lakes watersheds is ecological separation, with the goal being preventing the movement of invasive species between the watersheds, and that the pursuit of this goal must start with a unified, immediate, and substantial commitment of resources to investigate and identify alternatives for existing uses of the CSSC, including for stormwater and wastewater control and commercial and recreational navigation; and

Be It Further Resolved, the Great Lakes Commission calls on Congress and the Obama Administration to immediately provide substantial resources to expedite the investigation and implementation of permanent solutions to prevent the transfer of aquatic invasive species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins and that the first phase of these studies, those related specifically to the CSSC, be completed no later than Sept. 30, 2011, and be followed by an aggressive timetable for implementation; and

Be It Finally Resolved, the Great Lakes Commission offers its services to support the implementation of short-term and permanent solutions to combat the potential invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes.

Adopted at the 2010 Seminnual Meeting of the Great Lakes Commission, Washington, D.C., Feb. 22-23, 2010.