Michigan AG Charges Arkansas Man With Selling Live Asian Carp

Jun 5: Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and MDNR Director Rodney Stokes announced that the Attorney General's Criminal Division has charged an Arkansas man with twelve felony counts of possessing and selling live Asian carp in violation of State law protecting against the spread of invasive species. The charges follow a joint investigation by MDNR's Special Investigation Unit and Commercial Fish Enforcement Unit.

 

    Schuette said, "Once destructive Asian carp enter our waterways, the damage cannot be undone. We must remain vigilant and use every tool available to protect Michigan's tourism and sport-fishing industries from this dangerous threat." Stokes said, "Invasive species in general and the Asian carp in particular pose one of the most serious current threats to the economy and the ecology of the Great Lakes. The excellent work in this case by the MDNR's Law Enforcement Division is one more indication that we will continue to vigilantly protect the lakes from this menace."

 

    It is alleged David Shane Costner, 42, of Harrisburg, Arkansas, possessed 110 grass carp fish, a type of invasive Asian carp.  The fish were allegedly transported and sold from tanks housed in a semi-truck furnished by parent company Farley's Arkansas Pondstockers. Costner allegedly travelled around the state, conducting sales of the illegal carp from store parking lots. The trucks also contained live fish species permitted under State law, including channel catfish, largemouth bass and fathead minnows. On May 16, 2012, Costner allegedly sold two of the live grass carp to undercover MDNR investigators in Midland. 

 

   Grass carp, which are herbivorous and could potentially remove all vegetation from a body of water at the expense of native species, have been illegal to possess in Michigan for decades. Stokes said MDNR has been aggressively monitoring traffic in restricted species since the threat of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes became apparent.

 

   Schuette filed the following charges against Costner today (June 5) in Midland's 75th District Court: ten counts of possession of an illegal species, a felony punishable by two years in prison and a fine of $2,000-$20,000 for each violation; and, two counts of selling an illegal species, a felony punishable by two years in prison and a fine of $2,000-$20,000 for each violation. Arrangements are being made for Costner to surrender himself to the proper authorities. Arraignment will be scheduled in Midland's 75th District Court at a later date.

 

    Access a release from the AG (click here).

 

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Canadian Enviros Want Stronger Action To Stop Asian Carp

Jun 4: In a release, environmental groups announced they will be submitting a petition to the Ontario government, requesting the province take stronger steps to stop an invasive species of fish, Asian carp, from entering the Great Lakes. The petition asks the government to immediately begin working with the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (GLCI) to ensure the Great Lakes and Mississippi basins are physically separated to prevent Asian carp from getting into Lake Michigan. The petition was signed by more than 900 Ontario residents and organized by the Great Lakes Section of the Sierra Club and Great Lakes United. 

 

    Mary Muter of the Sierra Club Ontario said, "Great Lakes residents, both U.S. and Canadian, are alarmed by the threat of Asian carp. We are calling for a permanent solution in the Chicago area waterways, which artificially connect the Mississippi to the Great Lakes. We need to protect what wetlands we have left and the already threatened fish community from these rapidly reproducing food-chain disrupters." According to a release, the groups indicate that the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative have released a report, Restoring the Natural Divide, outlining viable solutions to the threat from Asian carp and other invasive species [See WIMS 2/7/12]. They said the report suggests a long-term, permanent solution instead of stopgap measures that, on their own, will ultimately fail to stop the Asian carp's march to Lake Michigan.

    Access a release from the environmental groups (click here). Access the GLC-GLCI report and all supporting materials (click here).

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