SPECIES.
>> PARIS?
>> THE UNWANTED INVADERS THAT
COST BILLIONS TO KEEP AWAY.
THE LATEST EFFORT TO KEEP ASIAN
CARP OUT OF THE GREAT LAKES IS
GETTING A 226 MILLION FEDERAL
BOOST GOING TOWARD PLANNING AND
ENGINEERING OF THE BRANDON ROAD
DAM BARRIER BUT MORE FUND
SOMETHING REQUIRED.
LAST MONTH A COALITION OF GREAT
LAKES GOVERNORS INCLUDING J.B.
PRITZKER SIGNED A LATER SAYING
THEY WERE TAPPED OUT AND NEEDED
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO FUND
THE PROJECT.
HERE ARE COLONEL JESSE T. CURRY
COMMANDER OF THE ROCK ISLAND
DISTRICT OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS
OF ENGINEERS WHICH IS WHERE THE
DAM AND LOCK IS LOCATED.
MARC SMITH GREAT LAKES POLICY
DIRECTOR AT THE NATIONAL
WILDLIFE FEDERATION AND MARGARET
FRISBIE FRIENDS OF THE CHICAGO
RIVER.
OUR VIEWERS ARE AWARE OF THE
PROBLEM OF INVASIVE CARP BUT
REMIND EVERYONE THE THREAT THEY
POSE TO THE GREAT LAKES.
>> SURE.
INVASIVE CARP ARE ESSENTIALLY A
BIG THREAT TO THE GREAT LAKES
AND A THREAT TO A LOT OF THE
WATERWAYS IN OUR COUNTRY.
THEY WERE BROUGHT IN TO THE
COUNTRY IN THE LATE 70s, EARLY
80s TO EAT THE ALGAE PONDS AND
THROUGH FLOODING GOT INTO THE
ARKANSAS RIVER AND THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND SWAM NORTH
UP INTO THE ILLINOIS RIVER THE
GATES OF THE GREAT LAKES.
AND THE PROBLEM WITH INVASIVE
CARP THAT WE KNOW ABOUT IS THEY
OUT COMPETE ALL THE NATIVE FISH
THAT WE CARE ABOUT.
THE GAME FISH THAT WE FISH FOR,
THE BASS, THE FISH THAT THE KIDS
CATCH THAT IS AT RISK BECAUSE
CERTAIN STRETCHES OF THE RIVER
SYSTEMS IN AND AROUND PEORIA THE
CARP CAN ACCUMULATE 90% OF THE
FISH IN STRETCHES.
THEY OUT COMPETE AND EAT ALL THE
FOOD SOURCES.
AND IF YOU GO ON YouTube YOU
CAN SEE THEM JUMPING OUT
EVERYWHERE.
THE THREAT IS REAL.
WE DON'T NEED THEM IN THE GREAT
LAKES WE HAVE A $7 MILLION
FISHERY AND 15 BILLION BOATING
INDUSTRY WE DON'T NEED THESE IN
THE GREAT LAKES.
>> THEY ARE KNOCKING ON THE DOOR
AND HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS BUT THEY
ARE EVERYWHERE IN THE ILLINOIS
RIVER ESPECIALLY DOWN NEAR
PEORIA.
HOW HAVE THEY CHANGED THE
ECOLOGY OF THE RIVER SYSTEM?
>> THE FACT IS LIKE MARK ELUDED
TO THEY CAN 90% OF THE FISH CAN
BE ASIAN CARP INVASIVE CARP.
THEY ARE OUT COMPETING THE FISH.
THEY SCOOT ON THE BOTTOM AND
DESTROY HABITAT FOR NATIVE FISH
AND THE FEAR IS THAT THE CHICAGO
RIVER SYSTEM AND RIVERS AROUND
THE GREAT LAKES WILL BE INFESTED
WITH THESE CREATURES WE ARE
DETERMINED TO USE ALL THE
TECHNIQUES AT OUR FINGERTIPS TO
STOP IT.
>> AND COLONEL JESSE T. CURRY
THE FEDS HAVE COME IN WITH MONEY
FOR THE LOCK AND DAM.
TELL US HOW THE PROJECT WILL
WORK.
>> THIS LATEST INVESTMENT STANDS
AA SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE FOR
THIS PROJECT.
THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
AND THE ROCK ISLAND DISTRICT HAS
BEEN WORKING OVER A YEAR AT THAT
PRECONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND
DESIGN AND THE FUNDING GIVES US
THE ABLE TOI START DRIVING
FORWARD TOWARDS CONSTRUCTION.
AS THEY PUT TOGETHER THE
FEATURES OF THIS PROJECT, AND WE
ARE WORKING TO DEVELOP THIS
LAYERED DEFENSE AGAINST THIS
INVASIVE SPECIES THAT AGAIN WILL
OUTPROTECT THE ECO-SYSTEM IN THE
ILLINOIS RIVER.
>> DESPITE THAT FEDERAL MONEY
THAT MIGHT MAKEUP A QUARTER OF
THE FUNDING THAT WILL BE NEEDED
TO FINISH THIS.
WHERE WILL THE STATE GET THAT
FUNDING?
>> WELL, THAT IS THE QUESTION.
AND THE GOOD THING IS THAT LAST
WEEK'S NOUNS.
THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL
PICK UP THE BILL FOR THE FIRST
YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION IS HELPFUL
AND MAKING THE PROJECT FROM THE
END OF THE DESIGN PHASE INTO THE
FIRST YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION.
THE PROBLEM IS THE NONFEDERAL
SPONSOR, ILLINOIS WOULD HAVE TO
COME UP WITH THE REMAINDER OF
THE COST.
I THINK THE BIG PICTURE WE NEED
THIS IS NOT AN ILLINOIS PROBLEM.
IT IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM.
AND ALL THE MORE REASON WHY THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REALLY SHOULD
COME IN.
IT IS A MULTIPLE DISTRICT,
MULTIPLE STATE JURISDICTIONAL
PROBLEM.
PERFECT ROLE FOR THE GOVERNMENT
TO COME IN AND COVER THE ENTIRE
COST THIS IS A NATIONAL ISSUE.
AND ILLINOIS SHOULD NOT BE THE
FULL [INAUDIBLE]
PAY THE FULL PRICE AND THERE'S
PRECEDENT PROJECTS PAID FOR BY
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THIS IS
CONSISTENT.
>> MICHIGAN HAS JUMPED IN WITH
FUNDING AS WELL BECAUSE IT
AFFECTS ALL THE GREAT LAKES
STATES.
MARGARET FRISBIE WILL ILLINOIS
BE ABLE TO KEEP ASIAN CARP OUT
OF THE GREAT LAKES WITHOUT THE
COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT?
>> I THINK NOT THE PROJECT IS
IMPERATIVE AND SMART
TECHNOLOGIES CAN WORK AGAINST
INVASIVE ARE IMPERATIVE.
WE'VE SEEN RECOVERY OF OUR RIVER
SYSTEM.
THE CHICAGO RIVER SYSTEM HAD
SEVEN SPECIES OF FISH IN THE
1970s AND WE ARE UP TO 80 AND
WE WANT TO PROTECT OUR WATER
ENVIRONMENT AND THIS IS A GOOD
WAY TO DO IT.
THERE'S OTHER TECHNIQUES WE'VE
TALKED ABOUT FISHING THE CARP
OUT FOR FERTILIZER AND FOOD BUT
WE NEED TO WORK ON KEEPING THEM
OUT ALTOGETHER AND DETERMINED
FASHION LIKE THE ARMY CORPS
PROPOSED HERE.
>> AND JESSE T. CURRY TAKE US
INSIDE THE TECHNOLOGY USED AT
BRANDON ROAD HOW DOES IT KEEP
THE CARP OUT BUT NOT OTHER FISH
THAT ARE WELCOME TO SWIM INTO
THE GREAT LAKES IF THEY CHOOSE.
>> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
WHERE WE CURRENTLY STAND IN
ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
EVALUATING A VARIETY OF
DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES FROM
ELECTRIC BARRIERS TO BUBBLERS TO
ACOUSTIC DETERRENTS.
AND DETERMINING HOW IN THIS
NATIONAL UNIQUE PROJECT THOSE
WORKING TOGETHER CAN REDUCE OR
ELIMINATE THE ABILITY FOR THE
SPECIES TO MAKE IT THROUGH A
PARTICULAR LOCATION LIKE THIS.
WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THAT
SCIENCE.
AND CERTAINLY ARE RESPECTFUL OF
THE URGENCY TO GET THAT COMPLETE
TO GET IT INTO THE LOCK AND DAM
AND BUILD IN THAT LAYER OF
DEFENSE.
>> MARC SMITH IS THERE A
CONSENSUS IN THE SCIENCE
COMMUNITY WHICH SCIENCE WORKS
THE BEST HERE?
>> WELL, YES AND NO.
THE BEAUTY OF BRANDON ROAD IT'S
GOING TO BE AN EXPERIMENTAL
PROJECT THAT WE CAN PUT IN
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TECHNOLOGIES
AND SEE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IT.
AS THE COLONEL MENTIONED IT IS A
LAYERED APPROACH.
YOU CAN PUT IT DETERRENTS THAT
ADD UP.
SOME OF THE LOCK AND DAM
PROJECTS ACOUSTIC SOUNDS IN THE
RIVER SYSTEM USED IN KENTUCKY,
COULD BE BROUGHT UP TO BRANDON.
AND VICE VERSA.
THE CORPS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO
USE THIS PROJECT AS A TESTING
GROUND A PILOT PROJECT TO DEPLOY
IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY TO
KEEP BACK INVASIVE SPECIES.
IT IS A UNIQUE AND NEEDED
PROJECT.
>> AND MARGARET FRISBIE YOU
MENTIONED POSSIBLY COMMERCIAL
FISHERMEN FISHING THEM OUT.
AND PEOPLE EATING THEM.
HOW HELPFUL WOULD THAT BE?
>> WELL, DNR THE ILLINOIS
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
THEY'VE PAID FISHERMEN AND THERE
IS A TOOL BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING
WE WANT TO RELY ON.
THESE FISH ARE HEALTHY THEY ARE
GOOD FOR YOU.
WE SHOULD BE EATING THEM.
WE SHOULD ALL BE EATING MORE
FISH.
THERE ARE LOCAL EFFORTS BUT WE
WANT TO USE EVERY TECHNOLOGY AT
OUR DISPOSAL.
AND I FOR ONE, THE CHICAGO RIVER
WE'VE TRIED TO EDUCATE PEOPLE
AND HELD ASIAN CARP GRILLS TO
PEOPLE CAN TRY IT AND BUILD
AWARENESS AND THINK DIFFERENTLY
ABOUT THE FISH.
BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE ARE
DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN AND NOT
RELYING ON ONE TECHNIQUE.
>> AND WE REPORTED ON "CHICAGO
TONIGHT" THE STATE-WIDE EFFORT
TO CHANGE THE NAME TO MAKE IT
MORE FRIENDLY FOR PEOPLE TO WANT
TO EAT THEM.