Georgian Bay Forever

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Damages from invasive species are already estimated at over $200 million per year to Great Lakes Provinces, States, businesses and communities. This past October, a new threat swam up past the electrical barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal. There are now two species of carp an unsettling distance from our doorstep - the Bighead and the Silver. We're at a critical point in the fight to prevent the next destructive invader from entering the Great Lakes.

The arrival of the Asian carp, which grow up to more than one meter in length and weigh in at 40kg, could result in an ecological disaster for the Great Lakes and the region’s commercial and recreational fishery if they get into Lake Michigan-Huron.

They are voracious filter feeders, which means they remove phyto- and zooplankton from the bottom of the food chain, muscling out and starving our native aquatic species and fish. In addition to destroying native species, the Silver Carp leap (see part one of this video) from the water when startled and cause a serious safety concern for boaters (see part two of this video).

We need Federal Ministers Shea and Prentice and Provincial Minister Jeffrey to do everything possible and to work closely with our US partners to ensure that these destructive invaders are kept out of our Great Lakes.

Contact Information:

The Honourable This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Parliament Buildings, Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1A 0A6
 
The Honourable This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Minister of the Environment
Parliament Buildings, Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1A 0A6

The list of Great Lakes Species at Risk that would be threatened by these invasive carp is long and includes lake sturgeon, three species of cisco, black striped minnows, warmouth sunfish, American eel, several species of shiners and the Atlantic salmon. Lake sturgeon and Atlantic salmon have only recently begun to re-establish self-sustaining populations in the Great Lakes and are very important to the recreational fishery.

Once into Lake Michigan, the Asian carp could quickly make their way into all the Great Lakes and their tributary rivers. A risk assessment study for the Asian carp was recently carried out by Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and it showed that the risk of invasion is “high” and that the carp infestation could reach as far north as Canada’s Arctic waters.

Click here to see a map of the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal.

And one last (very) important request...

Help us track the invasive plants Phragmites Australis and European Milfoil. If you find either of them, please collect the GPS coordinates and take a digital photo. Send both to us so we can track the species with McMaster University and find appropriate ways to deal with them. But a word of caution - both plants are difficult to remove. Any broken piece of Eurasian Milfoil can start a new plant. Take extra caution navigating your boat because you don't want these blights in your blades. Besides clogging your propellor, you will only help spead the plant further afield.