Invasive species threatens fishery

[Spiel]

Invasive species threatens fishery

FISHING: Efforts underway to prevent the spread of Asian carp

 

 

January 8, 2009

MARK TAYTI / www.wellandtribune.ca

 

 

Trying to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes will be difficult -- if not futile.

 

That's the sentiment expressed by Alfred Marinelli, a member of the Port Colborne and District Conservation Club.

 

Ontario is supporting legal efforts by Michigan and other American states to prevent the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes. The move recognizes the significant economic threat these fish pose to the province's fisheries.

 

A legal brief from the province

 

has been filed with the United States Supreme Court sup-porting Michigan's motion for a preliminary injunction to close locks in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The closure is one of a number of measures sought by Michigan to keep this invasive species from passing into Lake Michigan.

 

"They can do all they want with the canal," Marinelli said. "Either accidentally or on purpose, somebody is going to let one in. I'm not happy about it, but I don't see it stopping."

 

Scientific data estimates that in some parts of illinois, the Asian carp makes up more than 90% of fish populations.

 

In 2004, Ontario banned the buying and selling of live Asian carp.

 

Marinelli agrees invasive species can do a lot of damage when introduced into one of the lakes. Oceangoing vessels that pump their ballast water into the lakes are chiefly responsible for introducing these species, he added.

 

Species such as the zebra mussel and the round goby have "balanced out" over time. It is what happens in the interim that troubles Marinelli.

 

"It's the same old story," Marinelli said. "I don't see (the Asian carp) being stopped. Some way, they are always going to get through."

 

Dave Malloy, of Erie Tracker Outfitters in Port Colborne, said the Asian carp has had a serious impact on lakes in Illinois.

 

"They are destroying everything," Malloy said. "It's scary."

 

Malloy said the Asian carp has no value commercially or to the sport angling community. They grow quickly and are "bottom feeders."

 

These combined factors could have dire consequences for perch and walleye habitat in Lake Erie should the Asian carp find its way into the ecosystem.

 

Malloy also believes there is not enough regulation and enforcement to prevent the introduction of invasive species by ships sailing the Great Lakes.

 

"We're not the culprits," he said. "It's the freighters flushing their ballast. The sport fishers have to pay the price. I'd like to see the government clamp down on those guys."

 

One of Malloy's concerns is the potential harm Asian carp can do to the perch and walleye populations in Lake Erie.

 

Malloy said the perch population in Erie has increased significantly in recent years. He said that has helped to compensate for a few "poor hatches" on the walleye populations.

 

"We have just got something good going here," he said.

 

Malloy also believes the Great Lakes have an ability to adjust to some new species.

 

"Zebra mussels were going to be the end of the lake," he said. "The lake is full of gobys, but every fish has learned to eat them. The lake has been able to adapt, so far."

 

Malloy agrees there is a lot at stake when it comes to the Great Lakes fisheries.

 

The Ontario government estimates 1.4 million anglers fish in the province each year, spending more than $2.3 billion dollars on fisheries-related expenditures.

 

The commercial fishery in the Great Lakes is annually valued at about $200 million.