CHICAGO (February 11, 2025) — The Alliance for the Great Lakes responded today to a delay in the project to construct barriers at Brandon Road Lock and Dam that would halt the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes.
“After more than a decade of planning and design, the Brandon Road project is intended to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes. Any delay or halt of construction of this project threatens the economy and environment of the Great Lakes and opens the door to yet another invasive species to do irreversible damage to the Great Lakes and to the people who call it home,” said Joel Brammeier, Alliance for the Great Lakes President and CEO.
Invasive carp pose a serious threat to the ecological health of the Great Lakes and the people and economies these waters support, including the region’s $5.1 billion fishing and $16 billion recreational boating industries. Silver and bighead carp have already wreaked havoc on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, out-competing native fish for food and injuring people who recreate on the rivers. The project at Brandon Road Lock and Dam consists of a series of underwater fish deterrent measures to prevent invasive carp from entering Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes.
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Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes, dcarr@greatlakes.org