Grass carp have arrived in Great Lakes, study concludes

Grass carp are living in the Great Lakes, according to a new international study.

The fish,one of four Asian carp species, are believed to have found their way into lakes Michigan, Erie and Ontario.

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"Unfortunately, the news is not good,"saidRobertHecky, vice-chair of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission."The assessment suggests grass carppose substantial risk to the Great Lakes."

Grass carp are considered the greatest invasive species threat to the Great Lakes because they "aggressively outcompete" native fish for food and are capable of overtakingan ecosystem, according to a media release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The report, titledBinational Ecological Risk Assessment of GrassCarpfor the Great Lakes Basin, wasa combined effort by Canadian and American experts including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission.

Between 2013 and 2016, 23 Grass Carp were caught and analyzed. Nineof the fish who were caught were fertile and all of them were born outside of the Great Lakes then made their way into Canada.

"Grass carp have been in the Great Lakes for ... probably 30 years or evenmorebut they've been sterile,"saidMarkGaden,with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. "Lately ... we've been seeing recurringincidents of fertile grass carp in the Great Lakes. They're notsupposedto be fertile."

The fish probably made their way through the Chicago-area waterway system, an artificial canal that connects the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes, he added.

"Grass carp are abundant in the Mississippi River system," Gaden explained.

In response to the study,DominicLeBlanc, Canada's minister of fisheries and oceans, said the government is committed to protecting the Great Lakes.

"This study will inform our management and policy decisions with an objective of preventing the survival, establishment and spread of grass carpin the Great Lakes basin on both sides of the border," he said.