Chicago Public Carp Meeting: Passionate Pleas and Baseless Hyperbole

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Bighead Carp

And

Silver Carp Issue

- Solutions

CONCERNED CITIZENS OF ILLINOIS

CCI

Bill Karmik, President

February 17, 2010

The Bighead and Silver Carp Issue - Solutions

Much has been focused on the closing of both the Chicago Lock and the O’Brien Lock as if that would be the “end all” of the issue.  But the fact is that neither lock will stop the bighead or the silver carp from entering Lake Michigan.  These locks were not built to stop fish from migrating from the river to the lake or from the lake to the river.  They were built to help the flow of the waterway, to send pollution away from the Chicago area as well as from Lake Michigan, and allow local vessels a safe point of travel between the lake and river.  So any focus on closing either lock is a waste of valuable time and effort.

Much has been focused on an experimental test called Environmental DNA testing, or eDNA testing, as if finding any “DNA” of either a bighead or silver carp “proves” that a fish is actually nearby.  Having a “positive” test result only means that possibly some piece of a bighead or silver carp has possibly been identified.  It could be the DNA sample of a fish scale, feces, urine, mucoidal secretion or fish remains floating in the water that was taken as a sample for testing.  The fact sheet produced by the Center for Aquatic Conservation, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame states that “DNA degrades in the environment… and DNA can be held in suspension and transported….” So the eDNA that is “found” could have travelled several miles up the waterway.  How many samples were taken before they have a “positive hit” is not known.  The details of the testing process are not available to the public. 

The above scenario may or may not be factual since the eDNA test that was created by a Dr. David M. Lodge from the University of Notre Dame has never been independently tested, confirmed or approved, nor has it ever been used anywhere else than in the Chicago River, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, and related waterways in the local Chicago area.  Additionally, funding for the eDNA test runs out in June 2010, so it would be prudent to sell the eDNA test as a “sure thing”.  It would be great if this test was conclusive, but in fact it is not.  As others have stated, it is simply unpublished science that requires further analysis.  It appears to be only a guessing game at this time. This test requires independent analysis from several outside laboratories to either confirm or refute its validity.  In the meantime, its use should be based on a “possibility of a fish”, not that “there is a fish”.

Much has been bantered back and forth regarding the cost factor and loss of jobs on both sides.  Those wanting to shut down everything in the Chicago area repeatedly cite a $7 billion to $9 billion dollar (one website was as low as $1.1 billion) fishing industry that will be affected by the Great Lakes being overcome with bighead and silver carp.  Where this figure of $7 to $9 billion dollars comes from is unknown, but seems to crop up each time a discussion ensues, or a news report on television or an article appears, and always from those who want Chicago penalized. 

Then there are those whose work revolves around the Chicago Lock and the O’Brien Lock who use the statistics from the City of Chicago’s Office of Tourism, citing a $12 billion dollar tourist industry, with 30% of that figure, or $4 billion dollars coming from the local Sightseeing Industry.  Much of this revenue is as a result of the Chicago Lock being the second busiest lock in the nation.  So which figure does one believe is most factual, the $7-9 billion dollar figure that cannot be supported, or the $12 billion dollar figure that can. 

What about the 7 million tons (14 billion pounds!) of materiel and cargo cited by Michigan Attorney Gen. Mike Cox?  Where does that figure come from?  Don’t know.  But Illinois Congresswoman Judy Biggert (R-IL-13) stated in her testimony to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment that actually 19 million tons (that’s 34 Billion pounds!!) moved through the locks in 2008!   So who does one believe?  One who is running for Governor in his state and knows that this is a sensitive issue in his state, or one who gave testimony under oath to a Congressional committee? 

All this cargo is shipped via barge through the locks (mostly through the O’Brien Lock) and Chicago area waterways; valuable goods transported via the waterway (much better environmentally than any other means of travel) from the eastern shores of America throughout the Midwest and southern parts of the nation.  Transferring this precious cargo to trucks would create an environmental nightmare, increasing CO and other pollutants into the air, not to mention the destructiveness to the roadway surfaces and the increase in hazards to America’s vehicle users.   

Each side of the issue also states that hundreds of jobs will be directly affected, and possibly thousands of jobs indirectly affected in their respective areas.   This would be true on both sides.  However, on one side the numbers of job losses to the Great Lakes fishermen is vague and cannot be specifically identified as to numbers or time.  But on the other side of the issue, the Chicago area will definitely lose hundreds of directly affected jobs almost immediately and thousands of jobs indirectly within months of closing the Chicago Lock and the O’Brien Lock.  The monetary losses can also be factually supported by assessing the costs of business closures, unemployment claims, mortgage foreclosures, etc.

After all of this discussion the fact is that scientists do not know if these fish can even survive in the cold, deep waters of the Great Lakes.  These fish are river and shallow lake fish, not deep lake fish, so scientists believe that bighead and silver carp would not survive in the Great Lakes, citing not enough food, and an environment not conducive to reproduction.

So what is one to do?  Well the answer, my friend is floating on the water…commercial fishing.  Subsidize the expansion of the commercial fishing industry in the Illinois River.  Fish the bighead and silver carp until there are none left.  Then turn the fish into a viable source of revenue.  There are already processing plants in the area that can take the fish and turn it into a food source to feed millions of needy in the U.S., as well as exporting the fish food product overseas.  There are more processing plants schedule to be built, creating more indirect jobs!  The fish can also be turned into fertilizer for the great Midwest farms as well as the rest of the great American farming industry.  How about turning the fish into fertilizer to sell to the public?  These actions are already being done in the Illinois River area, only there are not enough commercial fishermen right now.  Interestingly enough, a study conducted by the Asian Carp Working Group analyzed the issue in 2007 and came up with over 130 recommendations.  The first recommendation was to expand and subsidize the commercialized fishing industry to rid the Illinois River of the bighead and silver carp.  According to the study this would create over 350 new jobs!  That seems like a major solution to the bighead and silver carp issue.  As an example, during an Asian Carp Rapid Response Meeting held in Chicago IL on Jul 29 2003, Duane Chapman USGS Research Fish Biologist stated that “…the population has been fished out in China so it is possible to reduce their numbers through physical removal.”

Once the Illinois River fish population is reduced to a minimum or eradicated, then the focus can switch to the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and any other affected waterway.  This solution has the potential to pull in possibly billions of dollars to the local communities and governments, and at the same time, not have a negative effect on the Chicago area or the Great Lakes area. 

One more solution to keeping the bighead and silver carp from the Chicago River and O’Brien Lock is already partially in place.  There is an electric barrier (Barrier I) installed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), with a second one (Barrier IIA) working as well, and a third one (Barrier IIB) under construction.  These are in the Sanitary and Ship Canal.  Other barriers to be installed include sound and bubble barriers, as well as fencing to prevent the migration of any fish upriver.  USACE has stated that the first barrier has been effective, no bighead or silver carp have been spotted or found upriver.  In fact, the nearest bighead and silver carp are 30-40 miles downriver and have seemed to have stopped migrating upriver. 

So what have we concluded? 

1. Commercially fish the bighead and silver carp to annihilation.  Creates jobs and brings in money, lots of it!

2. At the same time finish installing the second and third barriers, as well as sound, bubble and fencing barriers: stops the migration of the fish and isolates them down stream.

3. Last but not least the use of Rotenone toxin can be implemented.  However, this does not provide jobs and food, but kills all fish life in the area of the rivers and waterways that are affected.  Creates a local “kill zone” where needed, but should be used sparingly.

Implementing these measures will not have an adverse affect on either side of the issue.  There will not be a loss of jobs or revenue but just the opposite.  In fact, the fishing industry in the Great Lakes can use this as an opportunity to expand their operations and increase their revenue as well as create new jobs by commercial fishing in the Illinois River and other waterways.  All they have to do is bring their vessels across the Great Lakes, pass through either the Chicago Lock or the O’Brien Lock on their way to the Illinois River to join the Illinois Commercial Fishing Industry’s annihilation of the bighead and silver carp.

Bill Karmik

Libertyville, IL

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Thanks Bill for your comments, which are along the lines of what was presented by the Chicago/Illinois barge and marine industry at the public comment sessions.

Here are a couple of things to consider.

eDNA

Dr. Lodge from Notre Dame has acknowledged that it is new technology and he has also been careful to not talk in absolute terms. Instead he refers to probabilities. Your argument would have more credibility if you had a basis from which to challenge his work. Right now you provide no science that refutes his findings.

Politicians

You imply that Michigan Attorney General Michael Cox's actions are motivated by his desire to be governor, and he's running for that office.

I've talked to people in Michigan who aren't necessarily aligned with Cox politically. They say he is taking on the carp fight because it is the right thing to do for the citizens of Michigan. And yes, as a political by-product, it does give him a platform and visibility that may aid his political ambitions.

I might add that Ilinois Representatives Biggert, Halvorson, and Governor Quinn are also up for re-election.

The Asian Carp threat should also be considered in the broader context that the Great Lakes region has a terrible track record in keeping out invasives and they have cost us hundreds of millions of dollars. Not to eradicate them, it can't be done. Just to maintain some control.

I appreciate your concerns and comments and hope you stay engaged.

gw