FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 12, 2014
QUEEN’S PARK – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett welcomed the new federal aquatic invasive species regulations.
Announced Friday, the new regulations will prohibit the importation, possession, transportation and release in Canada of four species of Asian carp, zebra and quagga mussels. Ontario was a leader in prohibiting Asian carp, but there are gaps in the legislation, including the importation of Asian carp for food. Although Ontario regulations prohibited the live importation of Asian carp, there have been several instances of companies being charged for bringing live fish over the border. In most cases, it was due to the fish’s ability to live out of water for several hours.
For some time, Barrett has been calling for all Asian carp coming over the border to be eviscerated (gutted) to ensure there is no possibility of live fish escaping into Ontario waterways – for example, in the event of an automobile collision. He was glad to see this provision in the legislation.
“With the federal government requiring all Asian carp coming over the border be gutted, we are eliminating a possible vector for the feared invader to access the Great Lakes,” Barrett said.
With another Asian carp found in the Grand River at Dunnville on Sept. 23, Barrett also praised the federal government for investing in the new Asian carp laboratory in Burlington. This new facility allowed confirmation that the fish was sterile within two hours after it was captured. A representative of Barrett’s office took part in the announcement of the lab earlier this year with Haldimand-Norfolk MP Diane Finley.
“I’m pleased that the Harper Government remains committed to protecting the recreational and commercial fishing industries right here in our community, and our region,” Finley said. “We’ve taken a number of precautionary measures to mitigate the risk of aquatic invasive species, including the opening of the research facility in Burlington this past summer. We’re continuing to take the necessary steps to ensure Canada has the best tools available to combat this threat.”
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For more information, contact MPP Toby Barrett
at 519-428-0446 or toby.barrett@pc.ola.org