Water News:

Dave: The Washington, D.C. Carp Summit

Surely one of the most unlikely meetings ever coordinated by the White House is Monday's "Asian carp summit." Minnesota is one of the interested parties at the meeting. What is an Asian carp summit and why is it necessary?

The answers are reasonably simple. Non-native Asian carp that some biologists fear will wreck the Great Lakes sportfishery are nearing the boundary of the Great Lakes, which are connected to the Mississippi River system by a century-old canal and lock system in Illinois. Several of the Great Lakes states, including Minnesota, want that canal and lock system

Asian carp a-leapin'

shut down on an emergency basis to block the carp. Iliinois and Chicago, which benefit from the commerce that passes through the canal and locks, say "no."  With a Great Lakes crisis looming, the states at an impasse, and federal agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service having varied views on what to do, the White House Council on Environmental Quality is pulling all the parties together in hopes of a carp consensus.

A summit should not be necessary. The carp are a real threat to a $4.5 billion per year sportfishery. Their arrival has been anticipated for 10 years, and poorly defended against. But there is always hope that thoughtful representatives of the states and the feds will get wise. It's worth hoping for.

To find out more about why Asian carp are a problem go here and here. To read about Minnesota's role in the effort to stop the carp, go here.  More on Monday's carp summit is here.

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