TORONTO - The state of Illinois wants to work with Ontario and Canada to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, but in the meantime is selling as many of the fish as possible to China, Gov. Patrick Quinn said Monday.
"Our philosophy is if you can't beat 'em, eat em," Quinn quipped on his way into a meeting with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
"We're harvesting them in the Illinois River and Mississippi River and selling them to China," Quinn told reporters.
"Millions of pounds of Asian carp are going from Illinois to China, and we hope to expand that."
Asian carp have migrated up the Mississippi River and its tributaries including the Illinois River, and have advanced to within 90 kilometres of Lake Michigan.
Videos of the invasive species of fish, which weigh up to 45 kilograms and can jump up to three metres in the air when startled, are easily found on the Internet, showing dozens of fish leaping out of the water, some landing inside passing boats.
Funny videos aside, the Asian carp pose a serious threat to the entire Great Lakes ecosystem, said Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley.
"One of the things we're looking at right now is a Great Lakes Protection Act and one of the components is going to be trying to prevent these species from coming into the lakes because they cause great problems," said Bradley.
"The Asian carp could have a devastating effect on our fisheries, both commercial and sport fisheries in the Great Lakes, so we want to ensure they not get in."
There will have to be physical barriers built to keep Asian carp from ever getting into Lake Michigan and then into any of the other Great Lakes, said Quinn, a former chairman of the Great Lakes Commission.
"There are some long-term investments that we have to make," said Quinn.
"We're looking at the separation of the Illinois River system from the Great Lakes in general."
Bradley compared the Asian carp to the zebra mussel invasion of the Great Lakes in the late 1980s, which still causes problems at water treatment facilities and power plants.
He agreed barriers would be needed to keep the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, and pledged Ontario's help in working with the Canadian and U.S. governments and neighbouring states on the problem.
"We would be supportive of that," said Bradley.
"We need to do everything possible to ensure that these species don't invade the Great Lakes because the economic impact is tremendous if they do."
The Obama administration announced last month that it would spend $51.5 million this year to shield the Great Lakes from Asian carp, including first-time water sampling to determine whether the destructive fish have established a foothold in the lakes.
American officials released an updated strategy in late February that also includes stepped-up trapping and netting in rivers that could provide access to the lakes, as well as initial field tests of scents that could lure carp to where they could be captured.
An acoustic water gun that could scare carp from crucial locations will be tested near a Chicago shipping lock some want closed because it could serve as a doorway to Lake Michigan.
There is also an ongoing crackdown on smuggling live Asian carp across state lines and the U.S.-Canadian border. Thousands of pounds have been seized at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ont., in recent years.
