As Canadian and American authorities race to stop the northward march of the Asian carp, Global News looks back at the history of the foreign fish in North America.
1970 – Asian carp are introduced to North America via fish farms in the southern United States. The filter-feeding carp were ideal for keeping the farms clean. Two carp species, the bighead and silver, escaped after flooding and started making a new home in the Mississippi River basin. North of the border, Asian carp were also making an appearance in fish markets where they were being sold as live food.
1994 – A flooding event in Illinois reveals just how far the Asian carp had migrated. When water levels receded, most of the dead fish left on shore were Asian carp. They outnumbered local species nine to one.
2002 – The first electronic barrier is put up in the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal to prevent the spread of invasive species into Lake Michigan. Two other barriers were added in 2009 and 2011 respectively.
2003-2004 – The U.S. and Canada team up to study strategies to prevent Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan. A Fisheries and Oceans Canada study shows a high risk of Asian carp spreading into the Great Lakes and the department starts participating in the U.S. Asian Carp Control Management Plan.
2005 – The province of Ontario makes it illegal to possess live invasive fish, including Asian carp, but continues to allow the import of dead carp into the province.
2008 – Canada begins a border crackdown on shipments of live Asian carp by land and air, a process that leads to several charges and convictions.
2009 – Asian carp DNA is found 10 kilometres from Lake Michigan, sending an alert that the fish are much closer than authorities thought. Canada pitches in to help restrict the carp from moving into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which is guarded by a series of underwater electric barriers.
2010 – British Columbia bans the possession and sale of Asian carp. In Ottawa, then Fisheries Minister Gail Shea announces a $415,000 study to identify where Silver and Bighead carp may enter into the Great Lakes.
2011 – Ontario and the federal government start practicing how they will respond to the sudden introduction of Asian carp into the province. Authorities in the United States and Canada do another binational risk assessment.
2012 – The results of that risk assessment are released showing the Great Lakes provide suitable spawning habitats, food supply and temperatures for bighead carp. The most likely entry point into the Great Lakes basin is the Chicago Area Waterway System through Lake Michigan. If the carp establish themselves in Lake Michigan, the study suggests they would spread to the other lakes within 20 years. The study also it could take just 10 female carp and 10 male care to start a population.
The Canadian government also announces $17.5 million to support efforts to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp.
The front of the Asian carp invasion remains 30 kilometres downstream from the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal – at least for now.
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