x
Breaking News
More () »

Keeping Asian carp out of the Great Lakes is a priority for the tourism industry

State tourism officials are applauding a recent federal spending bill that provides $300 million to improve the Great Lakes, which includes efforts to keep Asian carp at bay.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- State tourism officials are applauding a recent federal spending bill that provides $300 million to improve the Great Lakes, which includes efforts to keep Asian carp at bay.

The fight against Asian carp took on heightened importance when an adult fish was found last summer in a Chicago waterway about nine miles from Lake Michigan.

“We need to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes; that is primary,’’ said David Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan. “If Asian carp get into the Great Lakes, everything changes overnight.’’

A $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill signed last month by President Donald Trump includes $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The program had been targeted for cuts by the White House.

It calls on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete a study by early next year on how to upgrade barriers that would keep Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan.

►Related: Winner of Great Lakes Asian Carp challenge gets $200,000

Signed by the White House on March 23, the bill provides money to combat numerous invasive species that threaten the Great Lakes ecosystem.

“We have too many of them as it is,’’ Lorenz said during the recent Governor’s Conference on Tourism held in Grand Rapids. “We’re already dealing with invasive species in a variety of ways that are causing harm, causing a lot of investment just to keep them from changing our ecosystem.’’

Asian carp would be devastating to the Great Lakes because they eat plankton that sustain native species, notably whitefish, perch and walleye, during critical stages of development.

Asian carp were imported to the U.S. from China in the 1970s to help clean ponds at southern fish farms. Flooding allowed them to enter the Mississippi River system. They have since spread to other waterways.

“Every person in this state is affected by invasive species,’’ Lorenz said. “We as an industry will continue to advocate for these types of issues because they affect us all.’’

►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WZZM 13 app now.

Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.

Before You Leave, Check This Out