Feds Take Action On Asian Carp, Hope To Block Lake Erie Invasion

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving forward on the Brandon Road dam project, which is intended to prevent the entry of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes.

On Thursday, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lieutenant General Todd Semonite signed a report detailing how and why the corps should move forward with the barrier at Brandon Road. Political figures from around the Great Lakes have been lobbying for immediate action to prevent the invasive Asian Carp species from jeopardizing the $7 billion of commercial and recreational fishery on the lakes.

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam is located in Joliet, Illinois. The Corps has been trying to secure funding to upgrade its technology to stem the incoming tide of Asian Carps. The issue has risen above political parties, with lobbyists from each major party working together to get the barrier upgraded.

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In recent years, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, and Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Lorain, have both beat the drum for the Brandon Road dam. They have been joined by politicians like state representatives Kent Smith, from Euclid, and John Rogers, from Mentor-on-the-Lake.

Rogers has noted that Lake Erie, in Ohio alone, is the source of nearly 100,000 jobs. If Asian Carp were to choke the native species by out competing them for resources, it could hinder the growth or existence of fisheries and tamp down on tourists looking to enjoy the Lake Erie fishing season.

"We will either stop Asian carp at the Brandon Road Lock [in Illinois], or we will wish we did," said Smith in a statement in 2018.

The hope is that with this week's action, and federal approval, the Brandon Road dam will prevent Asian Carp from damaging Lake Erie and the surrounding lakes.

“I have long sounded the alarm on the incredible threat Asian Carp pose to the entire Great Lakes region,” said Kaptur. “With the Asian Carp on the doorstep of our region’s most vital natural resource, we have a small window of time to stop this invasive species before it inflicts irreparable damage on our Great Lakes and our $7 billion fishing industry and equally important tourism industry. Since Asian Carp were first spotted just 9 miles from Lake Michigan, I have prodded the Army Corps of Engineers and local leaders across Great Lakes states to act and quickly build an effective barrier at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam. Today, we are a major step closer to achieving that goal. Today marks a historic victory for the tens of millions of people who call the Great Lakes home.”