A management biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources says invasive species have been arriving in the Great Lakes for several years now.
But Ernest Liskauskas says their numbers are increasing and one thing has become abundantly clear; once they're here, they're here to stay.
The best we can do is hope to control them and adapt to them. Liskauskas adds the biggest threat right now is the Asian Carp.
Four species of Asian Carp were brought into the Southern United States and have escaped and are now knocking on the door to the Great Lakes at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
Liskauskas says the only thing keeping them out are two electronic fences in the Chicago Shipping Canal. But he says some Grass Carp have been confirmed in the Toronto shoreline area of Lake Ontario and the Sandusky River in Lake Erie.
He adds previously it was thought that those fish were re-productively non-viable but re-productively viable fish have been discovered and recently eggs have been found in the Sandusky River.
Liskauskas explains the danger is the Carp would simply out eat native species and that wipe them out.
There's no way of knowing if the Carp managed to get through the electric fence or if they were brought into Ontario, which is illegal. But he says once they establish themselves in the Great Lakes they will have a huge influence on the ecology of the Lakes.
Liskauskas adds it is now illegal to bring live Asian Carp into Ontario and several trucks filled with them have been stopped at the border.
Many environmental groups have argued the only way to make sure they don't get into the Great Lakes is to permanently close the Chicago Shipping Canal but the State of Illinois opposed that in court saying that would negatively effect their shipping system and they won.
Liskauskas says that battle isn't over yet and there is still a great deal of discussion about closing the canal.
More infrmation about the threat of Asian Carp and other invasive species and what boaters can do to help can be found on the web site Ontario.ca/InvasionON.
