Québec Joins Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2014

The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) announced today that the Government of Québec has joined the effort to ensure comprehensive action to protect the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp.

The ACRCC was established in 2009 to ensure coordinated and effective action among Federal, State and local agencies to keep Asian carp from establishing in the Great Lakes as a permanent solution is developed. With today’s announcement, the government of Québec will join other ACRCC partners including the Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, all eight Great Lakes states and the Province of Ontario in implementing a coordinated Asian carp control strategy. The addition of the government of Quebec will strengthen ACRCC efforts to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp, including by addressing additional potential pathways such as the St. Lawrence River.

“With the health of the Great Lakes at stake, we remain focused on seizing every opportunity to build on our comprehensive effort for keeping Asian carp away,” said John Goss, Asian Carp Director at the Council on Environmental Quality. “Having experts for Québec join the ACRCC ensures a bi-national approach to protecting our Great Lakes, and protecting the health and economy of American and Canadian communities.”

“The Government of Québec is honored to participate in the ACRCC,” said Yves-François Blanchet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks. “The economic and ecological consequences of the invasion of Asian Carp in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River are such that the fight against aquatic invasive species must be an environmental priority for all governments of the region. We therefore welcome the opportunity to join the ACRCC so we can benefit from the large expertise available, as well as contribute and further develop our own expertise. This is needed in order to address the various impacts of the much feared Asian Carp invasion in a large interconnected river system, typical of the species’ natural habitat.”

The Obama Administration has invested more than $200 million in an effective Asian carp control strategy that includes aggressive tracking and monitoring, strengthening the electric dispersal barriers in the Chicago Area Waterways System, and developing cutting edge biological controls and other new technologies to prevent the spread of Asian carp, among other measures.