Protect the Great Lakes from Invasive Carp

Invasive carp have been wreaking havoc on native and sport fisheries in U.S. waters from Tennessee to Minnesota, and now they’re at the gates of the Great Lakes. Congress has approved a plan to block them from the Great Lakes, but we need to make sure that a lack of funding doesn’t derail the project.

Invasive carp consume the base of the aquatic food chain at a fast pace, leaving little left for native and sport fish, and risk injury to boaters and anglers when they jump out of the water. Invasive carp are devastating waters connected to the Mississippi River, and scientific studies predict they’ll have plenty of food in Lake Michigan to spread throughout the Great Lakes if they’re not stopped.

Congress approved a plan to stop invasive carp from invading the Great Lakes and its $7 billion per year fishing industry by building a series of smart technology barriers on the Brandon Road Lock & Dam south of Chicago while still allowing navigation. However, Illinois will be on the hook for part of the total project cost even though the fish migrated from southern states and threaten the economies of multiple Great Lakes states. If Illinois can’t foot that bill, the project could be halted. Invasive carp are a national problem and stopping them needs to be a national priority.

Help protect our freshwater fisheries by telling Congress to fully fund the Brandon Road project to block invasive carp.

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I appreciate Congress approving the Brandon Road Interbasin Project to help prevent invasive carp from establishing a population in Lake Michigan and our Great Lakes. This plan includes a series of smart technologies (acoustic fish deterrent, engineered channel, electric barrier, bubble barrier, and a flushing lock) to prevent invasive carp from moving past the lock while maintaining navigation for shipping.

The project is finalizing the engineering and design phase, but once that is complete, construction could be delayed if funding is not available to build it and if the state of Illinois does not sign a construction agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Invasive carp are a national issue requiring a federal solution – the invasive fish primarily escaped from southern states and have moved up the Mississippi River basin, threatening the fisheries economies of multiple Great Lakes states.

However, Illinois is currently on the hook for 10% of the cost share of the project. This estimate pales in comparison to the loss that would be incurred annually to the fishing, tourism, and outdoor recreation industries, which sustain millions of jobs throughout the Great Lakes region, but Illinois should not bear 10% of the burden for protecting the other Great Lakes states and fixing a problem that originally spread from the other Mississippi River states.

Please adjust the cost-share for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project to full federal funding to ensure that the project can be built without delay once the engineering and design are complete.

Thank you for your support for this critical plan to stop invasive carp.

Sincerely,
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}

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Invasive Species

Two species of invasive carp, the bighead and silver, jumping out of the Illinois River near Havana, Illinois