LANSING – It would take just 10 male and 10 female Asian carp to locate in the Great Lakes basin to produce a 50 percent chance of successfully spawning offspring provided the fish find a suitable spawning river, according to a report released Thursday by the Canadian government.
One item that is unclear, according to the report, is whether the carp could spawn directly in the Great Lakes or whether they must be in river suitable for spawning.
The report discusses which lakes face the greatest threat and the amount of time it would take for the fish to become dominant in the basin. Carp would become the most abundant in Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair, the report said.
The study says it would take five to 20 years for the carp to become established with the timeframe shorter to the south and longer in Lake Superior.
The report was conducted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
“The report underscores the severity of the threat Asian carp threat and the need for leadership so that we can solve the problem once and for all,” said Andy Buchsbaum, director of National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office, in a statement. “The Asian carp are moving toward the Great Lakes far faster than the government response, and this report shows that the cost of inaction will be devastating. President Obama and Gov. Romney need to declare that they will take the necessary action to build an effective physical barrier to keep the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.”
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