Great Lakes Carp

Asian carp, jolted by an electric current from a research boat, jumps from the Illinois River near Havana, Ill., during a study on the fish's population.

(AP File Photo | John Flesher)

MUSKEGON, MI – The effort by a group of five states to require the federal government to develop a barrier between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins took another hit recently.

The group of states, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania, were seeking the barrier to prevent Asian carp from spreading into the Great Lakes. Instead, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago on Monday, July 14 upheld a lower-court ruling dismissing the lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Chicago's Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

"I'm not surprised at all," said Alan Steinman, director of the Annis Water Research Institute in Muskegon, which has conducted extensive research into invasive species on the Great Lakes. "This is really the first step in a very long process."

The appeals court ruled Monday that the states have failed to make a claim for which relief can be granted and that the states haven't alleged facts that the corps or the water reclamation district are operating the Chicago Area Waterway System in a manner that is likely to allow Asian carp to reach Lake Michigan.

Impact on Muskegon

In Muskegon, the ruling has both an ecological and economic impact. The threat of Asian carp could affect the Great Lakes' $7 billion fishing industry, so a ruling against a barrier would seem to be a negative.

For some it is.

However, for those in favor of the much talked about river barge proposal allowing barges from the Mississippi River to travel along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan as far north as Muskegon, the ruling is a positive since a physical barrier between the two waterways would make barge travel nearly impossible.

The Lansing-based Michigan Agri-Business Association, which is spearheading the Muskegon barge proposal, declined to comment on the court's ruling.

Muskegon County Commissioner Terry Sabo, who heads the county's port development committee, has expressed support for the barge proposal in the past, but said he was "somewhat disappointed" with the court's ruling.

"The Asian carp situation is a concern that everyone should have," Sabo said. "It's a potentially very dangerous situation for the Great Lakes. It's everyone's responsibility to look into possible solutions and figure this out."

Those in favor of MABA's proposal will meet at the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center in Muskegon on July 25 to further discuss the plan. The meeting coincides with the conclusion of U.S. Coast Guard's public comment period regarding barge travel to the Port of Muskegon.

While separate, the issues of barge traffic and Asian carp are connected, with supporters' movements on both issues affecting the other.

Those opposed to barge travel on the Great Lakes point out that it has the potential to increase the likelihood of Asian carp entering Lake Michigan even though the Port of Milwaukee has been receiving barges from the Mississippi River since the early 1990s.

"More barge traffic could mean more Asian carp traffic," Sabo said. "But it's already been happening for years."

A towboat and barges pass a navigational buoy tangled on a tree floating downstream on the Mississippi River Wednesday July 9, 2014, in Alton, Ill.

Steinman said the ruling to deny a physical barrier isn't particularly surprising because of the complexity of the issue and the deliberate nature of the corps of engineers, which released a list of eight possible courses of action to stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes in January.

The corps had studied the issue since 2009 but chose not endorse any single plan -- some of which could cost upward of $18 billion and take 25 years to complete.

Significant action on the Asian carp issue is likely to take years. The lawsuit by the states was an attempt at a "quick fix," Steinman said.

"The different groups involved need to be very strategic in their plans," Steinman said. "We need to identify those problems and attack them in a focused way."

Current invaders and 'barbarians at the gates'

Another interesting part of the Asian carp issue is how it relates to invasive species already in the Great Lakes. Steinman pointed out the presence of 950 trillion mussels already in Lake Michigan. Furthermore, there are 186 invasive species in the Great Lakes, 57 of which were imported by ocean freighters that reached the lakes through the St. Lawrence Seaway.

According to Steinman, mussels are "literally sucking the life out of Lake Michigan."

"Asian carp literally jump out of the water, so they evoke a very visceral reaction and people use that to their advantage," Steinman said. "Zebra mussels are much more subtle; they are out of sight and out of mind. We can't ignore the Asian carp -- they are the barbarians at the gates, so to speak. The question is, 'Should they be our No. 1 priority? Do we focus on a potential problem or the ones that are already here?' Scientists will differ on that."

Steinman added that the real issue with Asian carp won't be in Lake Michigan, but if the voracious species finds its way into Michigan's inland lakes and rivers.

The Asian carp controversy will likely play out over the course of several years, but there is no denying the significance of the issue for the entire Great Lakes region. It's an issue that even breaches international borders into Canada.

Eventually, action will be taken. But for now, environmentalists, politicians and economists alike will have to sit, wait and plan their next course of action in a long and complicated process.

Brandon Champion covers arts and entertainment, business and weather for MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at bchampio@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter @BrandonThaChamp.

