2011 Framework Strategy & USACE Interbasin Study

Dec 16: The Obama Administration today announced a series of new measures to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp, building on the unprecedented proactive plan to prevent this invasive species from developing self-sustaining populations in the Great Lakes that the Administration established in February 2010.

    The 2011 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework adds 13 new initiatives to the comprehensive effort to combat Asian carp, including expanding eDNA testing capacity and developing cutting-edge biological controls and monitoring technology, among other measures. The original Framework, created in February 2010 and updated in May, established the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC), consisting of state and municipal agencies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. EPA, and the U.S. Coast Guard to synchronize the response to Asian carp.

    The original Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework included 32 Federally-funded initiatives, all of which have been completed or are underway. The 2011 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework now includes 45 short- and long-term initiatives in an aggressive, multi-tiered strategy to combat Asian carp. New projects in the 2011 Framework include:

• Validation of eDNA as an effective tool for monitoring and tracking Asian Carp through analysis and refinement of the eDNA processes to determine the number and distribution of positive detections of Asian carp.
• Development of eDNA genetic markers to more accurately and efficiently detect Asian carp concentrations.
• Expansion the USFWS lab in LaCrosse, WI to increase capacity of eDNA testing in all of the Great Lakes.
• Development of alternate trap and net designs for Asian carp.
• Development of rapid genetic-based methods to detect Asian carp to allow for faster results than eDNA.
• Evaluation of the affect of removing Asian carp food sources by reducing phosphorus and nitrogen from waste water treatment plant discharges into the CAWS/Upper Illinois Watershed.
• Assessment of the impact of steel hulled barges on the electric barriers.
• Evaluation of a permanent separation between the Wabash-Maumee watersheds.

    In a related matter, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in consultation with other Federal agencies, Native American tribes, state agencies, local governments and non-governmental organizations, announced more meetings and public hearing opportunities as part of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) pursuant to Section 3061(d) of Water Resources Development Act of 2007 [See WIMS 11/16/10]. GLMRIS is exploring options and technologies, collectively known as aquatic nuisance species (ANS) controls, that could be applied to prevent ANS transfer between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins through aquatic pathways.

 

    As part of the GLMRIS a series of NEPA public scoping meetings will be held in both basins during January and February 2011, along with the opportunity to submit comments online through March 31, 2011 [extended from previous 2/28/11]. Persons wishing to speak at the meetings need to"Register to Speak" which also can be done online. Two meetings are scheduled for Michigan: Traverse City, January 27; and Ann Arbor, February 3. Specific venues will be announced soon.

 

    Access the ACRCC website (click here). Access a release on the new 2011 Framework (click here). Access the complete 2011 Framework (click here). Access the GLMRIS website for complete information on the study (click here). Access complete information on the NEPA scoping meeting including registration, commenting, contacts, available materials and more (click here).