Protections Against Invasive Carp Still in Effect after Veto of Michigan HB 4326
OutdoorHub 12.01.11
Lansing, MI — As the Asian carp swims ever closer to Lake Michigan and its tributaries, it’s easy to overlook the host of other invasive species currently impacting our waters and fishing opportunities.
Head up to Burt and Mullett Lakes and drift a perch rig along and see how much success you have at keeping the gobies off your hooks. Or spend a day trolling for salmon on Lake Michigan and try to keep track of the amount of spiny water fleas that foul your lines. Invasive species have flooded into the Great Lakes and are having a major impact on Michigan’s most precious natural assets.
Michigan currently has regulations in place to help keep some of the most negative invasive species at bay. Grass carp, a fish that has similar impacts on fisheries and ecosystems as the Asian carp, is one of those species banned by the state of Michigan, but is not banned under Federal regulations. Grass carp is just one of six invasive fish that Michigan’s regulations protect against.
And thanks to a veto by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder today, this regulation and other important ones will remain in place.
Today, Gov. Snyder vetoed House Bill 4326 introduced by Rep. Jeff Farrington (R-Utica) that would prevent state agencies from establishing rules and regulations that are harsher than federal standards unless specified in statute by the Michigan Legislature.
“Michigan United Conservation Clubs would like to thank Gov. Snyder for vetoing this legislation,” said Erin McDonough, Executive Director of MUCC. “Protection of our state’s waters and fisheries is essential to the millions of anglers who spend billions in Michigan every year. Michigan is one of a kind and we need to have regulations in place that work for the Great Lakes state. What works for Nevada doesn’t work for Michigan and we should be able set our own regulations, not Washington, D.C.”
