FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jan. 17, 2014
PORT DOVER – More than the Great Lakes fishery is at stake if Asian carp were to become established in Ontario waters.
“Ontario is a boater’s paradise with the Trent-Severn and Rideau canal systems connecting many waterways in the central portion of the province,” said MPP Toby Barrett.
With the Asian carp still at bay and being kept out of the Great Lakes, most of the focus has been on the Chicago-area waterway which is the likely vector for the invasive fish to reach Lake Michigan. However, like zebra mussels Asian carp could use the canals to access the Kawartha Lakes and Rideau Lakes. In addition, the fish could become established in many Ontario rivers.
Another fear is a truck bringing Asian carp into Ontario for food could be involved in an accident and the fish could escape into a waterway. Although Ontario regulations only allow dead Asian carp to be brought into the province for food, there have been numerous incidents of live fish being brought across the border.
Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett has been leading the charge to change the regulations and allow only eviscerated Asian carp across the border.
“Despite bringing the topic up in the legislature numerous times last fall, I still haven’t received an answer from the Minister of Natural Resources as to when these regulations will change,” Barrett said. “Although the chance of Asian carp arriving in this manner is slim, it’s not a chance we want to take.”
On two different occasions, grass carp – a species of Asian carp – were discovered in the Grand
River.
-30-
For more information contact
MPP Toby Barrett at 519-428-0446