Sportfishing Industry Supports Aquatic Invasive Species Legislation
by
Mary Jane Williamson
November 4, 2005—Alexandria, VA—On Thursday, November 3,
Gordon Robertson, vice president of the American Sportfishing Association
(ASA) testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Fisheries
and Oceans Subcommittee in support of legislation aimed at managing
the threat of invasive Asian carp affecting sport fisheries in the
Mississippi River basin and the Great Lakes.
“The sportfishing industry is extremely concerned regarding the impact
of invasive species such as Asian carp on sport fisheries,” said Robertson. “It
is extremely important that we continue working to control Asian carp
invasions and seek better methods to control them. To control Asian carp,
however; we must address the larger problem of all invasive species. Passage
of comprehensive aquatic invasive species legislation would help give
fishery managers the tools needed to effectively combat such problems.”
Sportfishing represents a $116 billion-a-year impact to the United States
economy and is an especially important industry for the Great Lakes
and the Mississippi River basin regions, representing an annual economic
impact of $7.3 billion from the Great Lakes alone. The impact of invasive
Asian carp on these aquatic systems presents a major threat to healthy
fisheries in these regions. Three of the five species of Asian carp—black,
silver, and bighead—end their own specific problems to these fisheries.
Globalization, shipping and world trade have created unparalleled access
to exotic species as food sources, pets, and other uses, paving the way for
growth of invasive species at an alarming rate.
Asian carp are one of many invasive species affecting United States sport
fisheries and are known as voracious consumers, capable of quickly overtaking
ecosystems from established populations of commercially and recreationally
valuable species. Such invasions can have significant impacts on valuable
fisheries to the point of extinction. Carp, which are a relatively recent
introduction in many systems, have shown an affinity for becoming the dominant
large fish species over more desirable native species or established fish
that are recreationally and economically important.
“ASA supports the passage of comprehensive aquatic invasive species
legislation, such as S. 770 and H.R. 1591/1592,” continued Robertson. “These
bills are best because they address all aspects of the invasive species
problem and set strong, yet attainable, guidelines for prevention.
Once nuisance species have become established, they are expensive and sometimes
impossible to control, let alone eradicate.”
The American Sportfishing Association is the sportfishing industry’s
trade association, uniting more than 650 members of the sportfishing
and boating industries with state fish and wildlife agencies, federal
land and water management agencies, conservation organizations, angler
advocacy groups and outdoor journalists. The American Sportfishing Association
safeguards and promotes the enduring social, economic and conservation
values of sportfishing.
