By Greentech Lead America: Government of Canada will
invest $17.5 million to protect Canada’s Great Lakes from the threat of Asian
carp. This new funding will be allocated over the next five years to four key
activities: Prevention, early warning, rapid response, and management and
control.
“The Great Lakes are important to the economic and
cultural make-up of Canadians who live and work on these waters. These lakes
support both recreational and commercial fisheries and a way of life for our
people. Our efforts to date have prevented Asian carp from establishing in the
Great Lakes system and we will continue to do what is necessary to keep them
from taking over this valuable watershed,” said Keith Ashfield, minister
of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
With Asian carp having established in the Mississippi River
system in the U.S., officials on both sides of the border share concerns that
they could enter the Great Lakes watershed. Asian carp aggressively compete
with native fish for food and habitat, and can quickly become the dominant
species.
According to a study conducted by Fisheries and Oceans
Canada to evaluate the likelihood of arrival, survival, reproduction spread and
impact of Asian carp, shows the risk of impact was high in some parts of
Canada, including the southern Great Lakes basin by four Asian carp species.
As part of prevention activities, government will
initiate programs to educate people about the danger of this invasive species
and ways to prevent humans from bringing Asian carp into Canadian waters.
Canada continues to work closely with American
counterparts to develop an extensive early warning and monitoring system to
alert officials of signs of any potential problems along with rapid response
protocols for both countries to be able to react quickly should there be signs
that they are spreading.
To manage and control the threat of their entry into
Canadian waters, the Government of Canada will also work with enforcement
agencies to ensure compliance with regulations relating to the transport of
Asian carp.
The Great Lakes holds 21 percent of the world’s above-ground
freshwater. The annual revenue generated from the commercial and sport
fisheries, as well as thriving tourism and recreational industries is estimated
to be in excess of $9 billion CAD.