 The plan details over $6.5 million of monitoring, sampling and
response activities to be conducted by multiple members of the
Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee. The plan outlines
actions for the current field season, focused on monitoring and
removal of Asian carp in the Chicago Area Waterway System and
upper Illinois River; and ongoing evaluations of the
effectiveness of barriers and gears used in keeping Asian carp
from establishing in the CAWS and Lake Michigan.
"This year's Monitoring and Response Plan will focus on
expanding those actions that have achieved tangible results.
Over the past three seasons we have removed over 1.3 million
pounds of Asian carp from the Upper Illinois River well below
the electric barriers. We believe removal efforts are working to
reduce Asian carp populations in Illinois, thanks to the hard
work and dedication of our biologists, commercial fishermen and
our ACRCC partners," said Illinois Department of Natural
Resources Director Marc Miller.
The 2013 plan continues intensive fish population sampling in
the CAWS to watch closely for the potential presence of live
Asian carp, including two intense sampling events later this
year. In 2012, over 100,000 fish were netted and identified with
no Asian carp found between the electric barriers in the Chicago
Sanitary and Ship Canal and Lake Michigan. The 2013 plan also
continues sampling for Asian carp environmental DNA, known as
eDNA, as a monitoring and surveillance tool; however, eDNA will
no longer be used as a trigger for immediate rapid response
actions until the scientific significance of results can be
further refined.
In 2012 three response actions were triggered by positive
eDNA detections in the CAWS, with two additional actions
implemented as a precautionary measure to eDNA presence. These
intense sampling events totaled more than 1,600 hours of
surveillance over 27 miles of the CAWS, using 18.4 miles of gill
and trammel nets and 59 hours of electrofishing. These efforts
resulted in no bighead or silver carp being seen or captured.
These eDNA "triggered" events were in addition to the over 7,500
hours of sampling by ACRCC crews in the CAWS in 2012 with no
bighead or silver carp seen or captured above the electric
barriers.
"The (Fish and Wildlife) Service has been an active partner
in this tremendous effort since day one," said Charlie Wooley,
deputy regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Midwest. "The 2013 Monitoring and Response Plan represents the
highest level of cooperation for the benefit of the American
public in the fight against Asian carp. The Service is proud to
again offer our technical assistance in the coordinated
monitoring and sampling efforts taking place this field season."
"This robust, interagency program to assess the location and
abundance of Asian carp is just one important component of the
Corps' prevention strategy and helps us in making effective
electric barrier operation decisions," said Col. Frederic A.
Drummond Jr., Chicago District commander with the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers. "At the end of this year, we will be
providing Congress a Great Lakes and Mississippi River
Interbasin Study Report that outlines a range of options and
technologies to prevent the inter-basin transfer of aquatic
nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River
basins by aquatic pathways."
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The 2013 Monitoring and Response Plan also is accompanied by an
Interim Summary Report, MRWG 2012, containing preliminary results
and analysis of actions completed for each of the 18 projects
described in the 2011 plan. The interim report includes
recommendations for modifications and enhancements to project plans
based on past results and experiences from the 2012 plan.
In addition to several reoccurring
actions from last year, new actions in the 2013 plan are:
-
Monitoring and sampling efforts
below the electric barriers will be increased, while continuing
to conduct electrofishing at fixed and random sampling sites
upstream of the barriers on a more limited basis.
-
Two planned eDNA sampling trips
above the electric barriers will be conducted in 2013.
Additionally, two planned intensive monitoring events for live
Asian carp will be conducted throughout the CAWS. These
monitoring events will be done in coordination with eDNA
sampling.
- Testing of water guns and other control technologies (carbon
dioxide, attractants and fish toxicants) will be undertaken to
assess the effectiveness and impacts.
This year's plan was developed by the Asian Carp Monitoring and
Response Workgroup and has been reviewed by technical experts, Great
Lakes state's natural resource agencies and nongovernmental
organizations. The plan targets the Upper Illinois River and Chicago
Area Waterway System, the Asian carp pathway of greatest concern.
For more information and to read the plan, visit
www.asiancarp.us.
[Text from
Illinois Department of
Natural Resources
file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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