Grass Carp Legislation Advances In U.S. Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan amendment that would add $500,000 to efforts preventing the spread of Grass Carp into the Great Lakes has passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

The amendment was added to the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill this week. The legislation now contains $1 million for Grass Carp control in the Great Lakes. The bill will now head to the U.S. Senate where it is expected to be adopted.

The $1 million in the bill would be directed to the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, a binational organization operated by the U.S. and Canada, that manages and protects the Great Lakes. The Fisheries Commission would use this money to target Grass Carp, an invasive species that has been found both in Lake Michigan and Lake Erie.

The amendment to boost funding for control of Grass Carp was lobbied for by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Ohio, and Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat from Michigan.

“While much of our national focus on stopping Asian Carp has been directed toward the Big-Head Carp, let us not forget that the Grass Carp also poses an existential threat to the economic future of the Great Lakes,” said Kaptur.

“Far too few resources have been allocated to fight the Grass Carp. This amendment will address that by funding the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission to combat Grass Carp in Lake Erie and across the Great Lakes. The negative economic and environmental effects these species have on Great Lakes and coastal communities cannot be overstated. If this plight is not contained, Grass Carp will devastate our $7 billion fishing industry and equally important tourism industry," Kaptur added.