Resolution: Support for Full Funding and Implementation of the 2011 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework
Adopted on March 18, 2011, by the GLC Board of Directors

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Whereas, the potential invasion of Asian carp poses an imminent threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem and economy because 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, if populations of Asian carp become established in the Great Lakes they will be difficult if not impossible to control or eradicate and have the potential to devastate the region’s commercial and sport fishing industry, valued at $7 billion annually; and

Whereas, the urgency of sustaining effective monitoring and control efforts for Asian carp has increased significantly with repeated detections of Asian carp DNA in the Chicago Area Waterway System, both below and above the electric barrier system, and the capture of a live carp in Lake Calumet just six miles from Lake Michigan; and

Whereas, Asian carp have been detected in other areas adjacent to the Great Lakes watershed, underscoring the need for comprehensive, regional efforts to monitor for their presence and take actions to prevent their entry into tributaries leading to the Great Lakes; and

Whereas, in response to the elevated risk of invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes, the federal government convened the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) to develop and implement a comprehensive Asian carp control strategy; and

Whereas, the ACRCC is implementing an Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework that recommends a range of short- and long-term actions to monitor for, control and prevent the invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes; and

Whereas, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study to identify, characterize and propose solutions to prevent the interbasin exchange of aquatic invasive species – including Asian carp – between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins; and

Whereas, the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative are leading a study, Envisioning a Chicago Area Waterways System for the 21st Century, to develop options for separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds in the Chicago area to provide a permanent solution that prevents exchange of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species between the watersheds, with a goal of maintaining or enhancing existing beneficial uses of the waterways, including, but not limited to, storm- and flood-water management, water quality and waterborne transportation, in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana; and

Whereas, full implementation of the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework in 2011 is projected to cost $47 million, including $26 million from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, $14 million from base agency budgets, and $7 million carried over from FY 2010; and

Whereas, full funding for the Framework and associated efforts is critical to enabling federal and state agencies to conduct effective monitoring and control efforts against Asian carp, including the ability to respond quickly to new detections, implement emergency actions, and maintain a coordinated control regime that leverages expertise and resources from multiple federal, state and local agencies.

Therefore, be it resolved, the Great Lakes Commission recognizes that implementation of the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework is primarily a federal responsibility and calls upon Congress and the Obama Administration to safeguard the Great Lakes against Asian carp by maintaining FY 2011 and FY 2012 funding for base agency programs to ensure full implementation of the framework and associated prevention and control measures, in addition to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; and

Be it further resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission reiterates its support for ecological separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds as the best permanent solution for the long-term health of both watersheds, with the goal being to prevent all interbasin movement of aquatic invasive species while maintaining and enhancing existing beneficial uses of affected waterways; and

Be it finally resolved, the Great Lakes Commission offers its services, and calls for continued collaboration with the Great Lakes states, in the implementation of the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework and other short- and long-term actions to prevent the invasion of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species into the Great Lakes.

This resolution was presented for consideration at the 2011 Semiannual Meeting of the Great Lakes Commission, Washington, D.C., Feb. 28-March 1, 2011. It was tabled on March 1 for further discussion by the GLC Board of Directors. The final, amended, resolution was passed by the GLC Board of Directors on March 18, 2011.