The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service--along with a host of federal, state and regional partners--will again be searching the Illinois Waterway from the western Chicago suburbs to the La Salle-Peru area for invasive fish this month.
During the “Carp Corral/Goby Roundup,” June 15 to 18, biologists will attempt to determine the relative abundance and upstream distribution of the bighead and silver carp—two invasive Asian carp species—and chart the downstream leading edge of the round goby. Biologists will also collect fish health samples to detect pathogens such as the non-native spring viremia of carp virus.
Members of the media are invited for a first-hand experience with a field crew on Wednesday, June 16, or Thursday, June 17. Sampling covers a 100-mile stretch of the Illinois Waterway from Alsip to La Salle-Peru. Abundant goby populations may be seen at the upstream sites and jumping silver carp will be collected at the downstream areas. Contact Pam Thiel at 608-783-8431 by Thursday, June 10, for more information or to secure a space. Space is limited and will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.
The interconnecting channels and natural rivers of the Illinois Waterway System in the Chicago area provide a direct link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basin for non-native species to travel in either direction. The Mississippi River Basin is the largest in North America and the Great Lakes Basin contains 20 percent of the earth’s fresh water.
Together these basins encompass portions of 30 states and two Canadian provinces. The potential economic and environmental impacts of Asian carp, round goby and other invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species are widespread and significant.
“ Unfortunately, the search for Asian carp and round gobies has become an ongoing effort as these two invasive fish species push their way up and down the Illinois Waterway and closer to the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basin,” said Robyn Thorson, regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region. “The Service is fighting a fierce battle against these destructive invasives, but with the support of our partners, it’s a battle we may win.”
An electrical fish barrier near Romeoville, Ill., in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal--designed to prevent and slow the spread of nonindigenous aquatic species--has been operational since 2002. This experimental prototype has been effective, but the electrified cables may only remain functional until next April, making it imperative that a new permanent barrier be erected as soon as possible.
“ Plans are underway for construction to begin this month with completion by fall,” said the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute’s Dr. Phil Moy, co-chair of the Dispersal Barrier Advisory Panel.
A bighead carp was found 21 miles below the electrical barrier, about 50 miles from Lake Michigan, but to date no bighead or silver carp have been collected above the barrier. However, reproducing populations of bighead and silver carp have expanded into lower portions of the Illinois River to the Starved Rock Lock and Dam and the Iowa-Illinois boundary waters of the upper Mississippi River, as well as in the Missouri, Ohio and lower Mississippi rivers.
“ The Great Lakes fishery brings $4 billion to the region every year and approximately 5 million anglers fish the waters annually, and invasive species like Asian carp and round goby threaten the very future of this valuable resource,” said Marc Gaden, spokesman for the bi-national Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “We must do everything possible to halt these biological invasions. With the fate of both the Great Lakes and Mississippi River fisheries at risk, there are elevated concerns for the future.”
Now these damaging invasive species are moving even farther north and posing a threat to the Minnesota-Wisconsin boundary waters of the Upper Mississippi River. After a commercial fisherman netted a bighead carp last fall within 80 miles of Minneapolis, in Lake Pepin, the Service and the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources commissioned a study to identify ways to slow or stop the advance of these non-native Asian carp. Deterrents recommended include physical barriers, technological barriers such as those that use electricity or acoustics to repel fish, harvest, biological controls, and chemical controls.
The Service will work with the Minnesota and Wisconsin DNRs, as well as officials from Iowa and the Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the report and propose actions. In addition, resource professionals from across the country met in May to begin developing an Asian carp management plan that will include strategies to limit the spread of the species, prevent additional introductions and reduce the impacts of existing populations. This group will use assistance from other agencies and organizations as it develops and implements the management plan.
“ Asian carp have become extremely abundant in stretches of the upper Mississippi River and lower Illinois rivers,” said Pam Thiel, project leader for the Service’s La Crosse, Wis., Fishery Resource Office and coordinator of the Carp Corral/Goby Roundup. “They can upset the natural balance of the ecosystem, and in addition, the silver carp can actually jump high out of the water and into your boat, thus causing a safety hazard for boaters and skiers.”
Bighead and silver carp, native to large rivers of Asia, were brought into the U.S. by private fish farmers in the early 1970s and began appearing in public waterways in the early 1980s. These species are plankton feeders, eating microscopic plants and animals, and can reach weights of more than 80 pounds. They compete for food with larval and juvenile fish, as well as adult paddlefish, gizzard shad, bigmouth buffalo and native mussels.
The round goby, a non-native fish from the Black and Caspian seas, was first discovered in North American waters in 1990 and has since spread to all of the Great Lakes. Known for its aggressive feeding and defensive behavior and prolific reproductive rate, the exotic round goby are a threat to native fish and a nuisance to anglers.
The goby has been moving inland from Lake Michigan toward the Mississippi River basin via the Illinois Waterway System since 1993. Last year, monitoring efforts detected round gobies seven miles farther downstream than where they had previously been collected—near the I-55 bridge by Joliet and 55 miles inland from Lake Michigan, some 18 miles downstream from the electrical barrier and about one sixth of the way down the length of the Illinois Waterway toward the Mississippi River.
The Carp Coral/Goby Roundup surveillance is critical in determining whether Asian carp have moved upstream of the electrical barrier near Romeoville on their way to Lake Michigan and whether round gobies have made their way farther downstream.
Partners for this year’s event include eight Service offices, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Cook County Forest Preserve and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
Since 1871, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries Program has played a vital role in conserving and managing native fish and other aquatic resources. This year, the Fisheries Program is re-focusing its efforts on achieving its long-term strategic vision of protecting the health of aquatic habitats restoring fish and other aquatic resources; and providing opportunities for the American public to enjoy the benefits of healthy aquatic resources. For more information about the Fisheries Program, go to http://fishieres.fws.gov.
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 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management 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 Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
