Dunigan For Senate Blog

One of the greatest environmental and economic threats to Michigan’s future is the potential Asian Carp invasion.  Their DNA has already been found in Lake Michigan and we are now racing against time to stop them from taking over our fisheries. 

I was part of the rally at the fish ladder on the Boardman River last Saturday, February 5th, meant to draw attention to and raise public awareness of this most serious threat.  I join my voice with the bipartisan efforts of our local legislators in requesting that the federal government take swift action to close the locks on the Chicago River that empties into Lake Michigan.  Failure to do so will make this voracious invader an inevitable reality.

The devastation to Lake Michigan and its streams and rivers will be far reaching and irreversible.  The sport fishing industry, an economic engine that generates $7 billion annually and provides 1 million jobs, will be destroyed.  The Friday night all-you-can-eat-fried-perch traditions so many of us have enjoyed for so long will quickly become carp fries.

I applaud our Governor and Attorney General, along with other Great Lakes’ Governors and Attorneys General, for aggressively addressing this issue.  Hopefully, their meeting with federal officials today will produce results that protect the Great Lakes.  It is a shame it has taken a looming catastrophe to bring together the warring factions of our legislature.  I sincerely hope they are more successful at keeping Asian Carp out of our waters than they have been at addressing Michigan’s budget crisis.