The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service extended the public comment period on the proposal to list the black carp as an injurious species by another 60 days, beginning today.
The black carp, prized by American aquaculture farmers for its ability to control disease-carrying snails but viewed by scientists as a potential ecological disaster should the fish escape into the wild, would be subject to an importation and interstate transportation ban if placed on the list of injurious species.
Service Director Steve Williams said the extra 60 days for public comment was to allow for input of more economic information, and to give the agency staff more time to conduct a more thorough analysis of the impact of listing the black carp.
Black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), also known as snail carp, Chinese black carp, black amur, Chinese roach and black Chinese roach, is a freshwater fish that inhabits lakes and lower reaches of rivers in the wild. It was first brought to the U.S. in the early 1970s in a shipment of imported grass carp. A second introduction occurred in the early 1980s when the fish was imported as food and as a biological control agent to combat the spread of trematodesin aquaculture farms.
Biologists believe that if black carp escaped from aquaculture ponds and entered rivers and tributaries of the lower Mississippi River, they would pose a "significant threat" to commercial shellfish as well as to threatened and endangered mollusks.
Public comments may be delivered in person, mailed or faxed to Chief, Division of Environmental Quality, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite322, Arlington, VA 22203, or faxed to 703-358-1800. Comments may also be emailed to BlackCarp@fws.govEmailed comments should be submitted as an ASCII file without the use of any special characters or encryption. The email subject line should read, "Attn: [RIN 1018-AG70]," with the senders name and return address in the email message.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
