Friday, April 29, 2011

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

With Congress in the last days of its two-week recess, the mid-country storms and flooding, and a new Clean Water Act jurisdiction guidance took center stage this week in the region and Washington, DC, respectively.  These are highlighted in the news summaries presented below.
 
Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week

Flooding, Floodplains, Dams and Navigation -
EPA - Army Corps Clean Water Act Guidance -
Water Quality-
  • EPA Modeling Raises Fears Over Strict Mississippi River Nutrient Limits http://bit.ly/hS38dw (pdf file)
  • EPA Plans New Measures To Ease Farm Compliance With Nutrient Limits http://bit.ly/eC24cs (pdf file)
  • Atrazine spike headed downstream for places like Lake Vermilion (IL) unless precautions taken http://bit.ly/h0O0VV
  • FL Gov. Rick Scott: state will ask EPA to back off on water pollution rules http://bit.ly/fUvcZn
  • US District Judge: FL Everglades need EPA to police cleanup; state authorities "have not been true stewards" http://bloom.bg/g67Owu
  • Lake Pepin experiencing similar problems as Chesapeake Bay http://bit.ly/ikAcFT
Agriculture -
In the States -
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
Federal Budget -
  • Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL): worried that Senate not getting enough done on budget; should not have gone on 2-week break http://bit.ly/gHZZTk
  • "Gang of Six" senators widely anticipated to deliver their budget proposal in early May http://reut.rs/ikcvJf
Events -
  • National Research Council public "Conversation on America's Climate Choices;" May 12, Washington, DC http://bit.ly/hknIXe
  • August 2011 National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration Registration Open (Baltimore, MD) http://bit.ly/js9RzB
E-Newsletters-
  • April 26 issue of the Tennessee Clean Water Network e-newsletter http://bit.ly/gFMQV3
  • Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee spring newsletter published (pdf file) http://bit.ly/k0q18t
  • April Update (PDF file) from the Northeast-Midwest Institute on Mississippi River Basin issues http://bit.ly/mMvsLi
Political Scene -
  • The Shape of Redistricting in Iowa, Louisiana & Arkansas http://bit.ly/elWmKP
  • Missouri legislature passes new redistricting map, awaits Governor Nixon’s possible veto http://bit.ly/jPXTC0
  • IA's 2 US Senators have history of switching votes on debt ceiling, depending on which party occupies White House http://on.wsj.com/gw68wx
  • Kentucky's three GOP gubernatorial candidates support mountaintop removal coal mining http://bit.ly/jIwMFl
Other news-
Last word -
"Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody." - Mark Twain

Thursday, April 28, 2011

April Issue of Mississippi River Basin Update


Here is the link to the April Update (pdf file) from the Northeast-Midwest Institute on Mississippi River Basin issues. Along with links to web-based tools for tracking flooding in the Mississippi River Basin, the Update contains these April news items:
 
RIVER BASIN NEWS AND NOTES
  • Obama Administration Releases Clean Water Framework; Seeks to Clarify Clean Water Act Interpretation
  • EPA and USDA Announce New Pilot Program to Evaluate Farm Conservation Impacts
  • EPA Proposes to Place Louisiana Coastal Areas on List of Impaired State Waters
  • EPA Proposes New Cooling Water Intake Structure Standards to Reduce Environmental Impact
  • Invasive Asian Carp Species Caught in St. Croix River
  • EPA's Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee Meets
  • Publications of Note
  • Upcoming Conferences, Events and Workshops
LEGISLATION
  • National Flood Insurance Program Legislation Update
  • Farm Bill Resources
BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS
  • Fiscal Year 2011 Appropriations
  • Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's "NOAAWatch" Floods Resources

With flood watches and warnings expected to approach historic levels and continue into at least mid-May in the Mississippi River Basin, it is an understatement to say that many will be watching the water levels, levees and floodplains throughout the watershed in the upcoming days and weeks.

A comprehensive source of information on floods can now be found at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's "NOAAWatch" Floods theme page, including recent flood watches, warnings and statements, and an interactive, radar, precipitation, and river observation and forecast mapping system (click on the map above to link directly with NOAA’s interactive map page).


August 2011 National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration Registration Open


NCER 2011, the National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration, will be held at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland this August 1-5. NCER 2011 is an interdisciplinary conference on large scale ecosystem restoration, presenting state-of-the art science and engineering, planning and policy in an environment of partnership. The purpose of NCER in general, and the NCER Conference specifically, is to provide an interactive forum for physical, biological and social scientists, engineers, resource managers, planners and policy makers to share their experiences and research results concerning large-scale ecosystem restoration on both national and international levels.

NCER 2011 Program topics will include the USDA NRCS Mississippi River Basin Initiative and several others that relate to restoration in the Mississippi River Basin, including:
  • Coastal Habitat Restoration 
  • Comparison and Contrast of Restoration Programs
  • Ecosystem Goods and Services
  • Ecosystem Restoration on Private Lands
  • Ecosystems of National Significance
  • Environmental Benefits
  • Estuarine Ecosystem Restoration
  • Federal Principles and Guidelines and Ecosystem Restoration
  • Implementation and Political Challenges to Ecosystem Restoration Programs
  • Invasive Species
  • Louisiana Coastal Restoration
  • Riverine Recovery
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Perspectives
  • Upland Habitat Restoration
  • Urban Ecosystem Restoration
  • Water Quality Nutrients Contaminants and Sustainable Sediment Management
 For more information and to register for the Conference, visit the National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration home page.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Obama Administration Releases Clean Water Framework; Seeks to Clarify Clean Water Act Interpretation

In a multi-pronged effort intended in part to clarify definitions of wetlands and waterways where the Clean Water Act applies, the Obama administration today (April 27) released a national clean water framework, entitled "Clean Water: Foundation of Healthy Communities and a Healthy Environment."  The Framework release is accompanied by the release of a draft guidance from the US EPA and Army Corps of Engineers that updates Federal guidance regarding where the Clean Water Act applies nationwide.  

During a Wednesday afternoon conference call announcing the Framework and new guidance, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson told reporters that she does not "think there will be some expansion to waters that currently people might view as isolated" (and not currently regulated under the Clean Water Act). However, she also noted that it is unclear how many more wetlands or waterways would now be covered, under definitions in the new guidance, adding, "This is not some massive increase as far as we can tell."

The draft guidance is now open for 60 days of public comment, and can be viewed hereThe  White House Council on Environmental Quality Framework web page is here.  You can read Clean Water Framework in its entirety (a large pdf file) here, and read an EPA news release summarizing the Clean Water Framework.

Background
In stating in 1972 that the Clean Water Act (CWA) covers the “waters of the United States,” Congress expressed its intent that the term “waters of the United States” “be given the broadest possible constitutional interpretation.”  The resulting USEPA and Army Corps of Engineers regulations implementing the Act's provisions reflected that congressional intent by covering, among other waters:
  • tributaries of various waters, 
  • adjacent wetlands, and 
  • intrastate waters with linkages to interstate commerce. 
Those agency rules were upheld by the vast majority of courts that examined them, including the Supreme Court, until 2001 and 2006, when two Supreme Court decisions changed the regulatory and legal landscape and cast doubt upon the initial intent of the CWA jurisdiction and on its interpretation by the USEPA and Army Corps.  Although the 2006 (Rapanos v. United States) ruling articulated two tests for federal jurisdiction of wetlands, the majority opinion reaffirmed that the CWA covers only navigable waters and property with significant connections to navigable waters — or a "significant nexus" as defined by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy in his opinion. (for a full background on the issue, please see our White Paper, entitled, "Interpretations of the Clean Water Act - 'Waters of the United States'" located here).

Friday, April 22, 2011

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week - Earth Day Edition

EPA and USDA Announce New Pilot Program to Evaluate Farm Conservation Impacts
Inside EPA” reported on April 22 that EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new initiative following an April 19 tour of Iowa farms to develop pilot projects "to help quantify the effectiveness of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) in reducing nutrient pollution from farm runoff, and couple those BMPs with a compliance assurance program - key actions the agriculture industry has long sought to ease their compliance with strict nutrient limits."  The April 19 visit also included a visit to an Iowa biodiesel plant, and was designed to listen to concerns from farmers and agricultural representatives about EPA regulatory impacts on farmers.  There is also a link to media coverage of the visit in the "Agriculture" section, below.

EPA Proposes New Cooling Water Intake Structure Standards to Reduce Environmental Impact
The EPA published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on April 20 that will affect (when finalized) many large cooling water dischargers to rivers in the Mississippi River Basin, including large electric utility plants. The rule sets requirements that reflect the best technology available (BTA) for minimizing adverse environmental impact; requirements that would be implemented through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Read more background and comment submission information here.

Invasive Asian Carp Species Caught in St. Croix River
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports that a commercial angler caught a 27-pound bighead carp in the lower St. Croix River on April 18. According to a DNR Media Release issued on April 20, the catch of the carp "is the sixth incident of bighead carp being caught in the Mississippi River bordering Minnesota, but the only the second bighead carp caught near the St. Croix River. In 1996, a bighead was caught in the St. Croix River north of its confluence with the Mississippi River." Bighead carp can grow to reach weights of 110 pounds, and - like other non-native carp species that have been released in North America outside of their native Asian or European ranges - cause ecosystem problems in their wake. Watch a video and read more detailed background on Asian Carp in the Upper Mississippi River (upstream of Cairo, Illinois) here.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week:

Agriculture -
  • EPA chief has no plans to regulate farm runoff http://bit.ly/gn9JKv when "folks stepping up and are willing to do the conservation
  • Sediment from Minnesota's farms threatens to choke off Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers http://bit.ly/dQ40mK
  • Urban St. Louis MO farm gives opportunity to refugees http://bit.ly/ecAjqq
  • UN Environment Programme Director: we need a "new agriculture" where conservation & farming learn to live together http://bit.ly/goqY7k
  • Even strong congressional supporters of farm subsidies say they will be cut in the 2012 budget http://bit.ly/fCPj9i
  • Corn, soybean & other crop direct payments as they exist today not likely to be in next Farm Bill http://bit.ly/fJgYm0
  • Democrats: cuts in House-passed budget plan could make it politically impossible to pass Farm Bill in 2012 http://bit.ly/eeA5um
  • Book review: "This Perennial Land . . . road to a restorative agriculture" http://bit.ly/i6I8mc & book's web site: http://bit.ly/eRIG3y
  • Sen. Conrad (D-ND) convenes meeting of his ND Agriculture Advisory Committee to lay out 2012 Farm Bill priorities http://1.usa.gov/eP2hjw
  • International Energy Agency: Biofuels could make up 27% of world’s transportation fuel by 2050; Sustainability is key http://bit.ly/e5ZXk0
  • State Agricultural Lands Nutrient Reduction Strategies Workshop Announced for Upper Mississippi basin audience http://bit.ly/dKMVPk
  • Book review: "The CAFO Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories" http://bit.ly/hhmLu1
Water Quality-
  • WA House passes bill to make it first state to ban coal tar based sealants http://bit.ly/hSl5bG Rep. Doggett (D-TX) seeks nationwide ban
  • EPA soliciting public comment on General Permit to reduce stormwater discharges from construction sites http://1.usa.gov/4cTrLO
  • 170 lawmakers urge Obama Administration to stop roll-out of guidance defining waters of the US http://bit.ly/dXiCOI (pdf of letter)
  • American Farm Bureau says draft EPA guidance takes overly broad view of ‘waters of the US’ definition http://bit.ly/gl3zP7
  • Climate change could make Chicago's chronic water pollution (that goes down to the Mississippi River) even worse http://bit.ly/el0jBz
In the States -
Flooding, Floodplains, Dams and Navigation -
  • Nashville, TN mayor launches “Nashville: Naturally” plan; emphasizes green infrastructure to rebound from 2010 flooding http://bit.ly/gI8Wmw
  • Predicted Thursday 20.3-foot Mississippi River crest will make it 6th worst flood in Quad-City history http://bit.ly/fWddhp
  • Rising Mississippi River turns dangerous in Dubuque IA area http://bit.ly/fkH91J
  • 40-year-old ''emergency" levees remain primary line of defense against floods in many MN areas http://bit.ly/h07kRW
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
Federal Budget -
  • Water infrastructure budgets (EPA & Army Corps) to see massive cuts in 2012 http://bit.ly/eJ9yab
  • Economy insiders polled; say that odds are long for a long-term budget deal based upon current plans http://bit.ly/fCkgvh
  • IA Ag Secretary: state & federal conservation program cuts makes reducing farm runoff difficult (last paragr) http://bit.ly/gJYbpn
  • RT @InvasiveNotes: The Case for Funding Agricultural Research http://tinyurl.com/3uc2sfg
  • FY2012 Republican House Budget Resolution is "non-starter" for House Agriculture Committee Democrats http://bit.ly/fCEa2w
  • House passes Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan's 2012 budget plan http://bit.ly/em9Tv2
  • For the numerologists and economists among us: the perpetual US national debt clock: http://bit.ly/bUCCK3
  • Corps of Engineers' budget cuts could hurt Mississippi River-Memphis region industries http://bit.ly/gSAxMA
  • GOP will send House Majority Leader Cantor (VA) & Senate Minority Whip Kyl (AZ) to negotiate budget & deficit w/ Dems http://bit.ly/ecgjNy
Events -
  • State Agricultural Lands Nutrient Reduction Strategies Workshop Announced for Upper Mississippi basin audience http://bit.ly/dKMVPk
  • Briefing on new National Research Council report: effects of climate change on natural resources; DC, April 25, 2 PM http://bit.ly/fhRQNm
  • Course: Adaptive Management for Conservation Success, June 6-17, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Inst, Front Royal, VA http://bit.ly/ezD2Ay
  • July 15-18, 2012 (Save the date): Inagural North America Congress for Conservation Biology; San Francisco Bay Area, CA http://bit.ly/fkXrln
  • Abstract deadline May 13 http://bit.ly/hxrAlA for Nov 7-10 American Water Resources Association Conf; http://bit.ly/fPksRU Albuquerque, NM
  • RT @eesionline: BRIEFING Apr 27: developing sustainable biomass supplies for energy, economic, & environmental security http://bit.ly/f8n4nE
  • Upper Mississippi River Basin Assoc. announces May 17-18, 2011 meetings, Rock Island, IL (open to public) http://bit.ly/3zQb40
Political Scene -
  • Likely redistricting victims: Reps. Landry (R-LA), Donnelly (D-IN), Carnahan (D-MO), Schilling (R-IL), Latham (R-IA) http://wapo.st/f4YAy3
  • Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA-4) announces a 2012 run against Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA-3) in the third district http://wapo.st/gXa8G4
  • Christie Vilsack likely to run in 2012 against Iowa Rep. Steve King (R-IA-5) http://wapo.st/i8L8Dj & http://bit.ly/dWNcQY
  • IA Gov Branstad signs redistricting bill: state’s new legislative boundaries are officially law http://bit.ly/enmGs6
  • MO congressional redistricting unknowns in MO statehouse lead to in-fighting among US House Dems http://politi.co/hbrkR5
  • Dems set to file recall petitions against 5th GOP WI state senator for her vote to limit collective bargaining rights http://wapo.st/gXM3Ub
  • Congress's approval rating hovering near its all-time low, stands at 17% http://bit.ly/hYUfH5
Gulf Coastal Area-
  • LA Sens. Landrieu & Vitter introduce bill to direct 80% of BP spill penalties to Gulf coastal restoration http://bit.ly/fN1XlI
  • Scientists surveyed say: Gulf of Mexico health nearly at pre-BP-spill level ("68" on 0 to 100 scale) http://bit.ly/eRXgSt
  • BP: freshwater diversions that decimated oyster beds off Mississippi River not approved or "viable response technique" http://bit.ly/hoeQFX
  • Research directors/water resource administrators seek to develop common Upper Mississippi River water framework http://bit.ly/ega1wd
  • Conservation Biology article: Ecosystem services as a common language for coastal ecosystem-based management http://bit.ly/gV38s7
  • Perceived threat to oil & gas jobs undercuts growth of Gulf Coastal environmental movement http://lat.ms/fa8GeK
  • "Quagmire Of Bureaucracy" Stifles Gulf Spill Research (with even more "devastating" "loss of wetlands" & "dead zone") http://bit.ly/gjskTr
  • Beyond the Oil Spill, the Tragedy of an Ailing Gulf; & a need to find "solutions for a continuing systemic tragedy" http://nyti.ms/dYtrGk
Other news-
Last Word
"Washington is a very easy city for you to forget where you came from and why you got there in the first place." - Harry S. Truman

Thursday, April 21, 2011

State Agricultural Lands Nutrient Reduction Strategies Workshop Announced

From June 13-15 a "State Nutrient Reduction Strategies Workshop-Agricultural Component" will be held at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Columbus, OH. According to a workshop flier, the workshop is “intended to help states in the Upper Mississippi River Basin develop the agricultural component for their State Nutrient Reduction Strategies.” For additional information contact: Cynthia Curtis USEPA; curtis.cynthia@epa.gov; 312-353-6959.  

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

EPA Proposes New Cooling Water Intake Structure Standards to Reduce Environmental Impact

The EPA published a proposed rule in the Federal Register today (April 20) that will affect (when finalized) many large cooling water dischargers to rivers in the Mississippi River Basin, including large electric utility plants.  The rule sets requirements that reflect the best technology available (BTA) for minimizing adverse environmental impact; requirements that would be implemented through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. 

Background
Cooling water intakes can adversely impact aquatic organisms basically in two ways. The first is entrainment, which is the pulling in of organisms along with the cooling water.  The second way is through entrapment (also known as impingement): the blocking of larger organisms (such as fish) that enter the cooling water intake by a physical barrier such as screening equipment installed in the cooling water flow to protect downstream equipment (i.e., pumps, condensers, etc.) from damage or clogging.  Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act requires that the location, design, construction and capacity of cooling water intake structures reflect the BTA for minimizing adverse environmental impacts.

Proposed Rule
The proposed rule is being issued pursuant to a settlement agreement with various environmental groups requiring that EPA promulgate a final rule no later than July 27, 2012. Portions of previous rules addressing cooling water intake structures for existing facilities were remanded to EPA for further consideration as the result of litigation.  Based on preliminary comments from environmental organizations involved in the rule-precipitating litigation (who have criticized the proposed rule for not establishing closed-cycle cooling as BTA), it is likely that any final rule would be challenged in litigation.

Under existing regulations, BTA for existing facilities is determined by the NPDES permitting authority using best professional judgment. Under the proposed rule, the permitting authority would retain substantial discretion to determine BTA for fish passing through the cooling water system, but the rule would establish numerical standards for fish trapped on the outer part of cooling water intake structures.  Facilities would be required to conduct fish mortality monitoring during the term of the permit.  The proposed rule also includes some changes to already-promulgated rules for new facilities.

The deadline for providing comments on the proposed rule is July 19, 2011.  Comments on the proposed rule can be provided to EPA by going to http://www.regulations.gov and following the on-line instructions for submitting comments; by e-mail to OW-Docket@epa.gov (Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0667); or by hand delivery to:
Water Docket
EPA Docket Center
EPA West Building Room 3334
1301 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20004
(Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0667)

Invasive Asian Carp Species Caught in St. Croix River (Updated)

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has reported that a commercial angler caught a 27-pound bighead carp in the lower St. Croix River on April 18.  According to a DNR Media Release issued on April 20, the catch of the carp "is the sixth incident of bighead carp being caught in the Mississippi River bordering Minnesota, but the only the second bighead carp caught near the St. Croix River. In 1996, a bighead was caught in the St. Croix  River north of its confluence with the Mississippi River."  Bighead carp can grow to reach weights of 110 pounds.

Here is April 20 news media video coverage of the Bighead carp catch:


The bighead carp is one of eight species of non-native carp species that have been released in North America outside of their native Asian or European ranges, causing ecosystem problems in their wake.  The eight include:
  • Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
  • Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) Common carp are European in origin
  • Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)
  • Largescale silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys harmandi)
  • Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis)
  • Black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus)
  • Common goldfish (Carassius auratus)
  • Crucian carp (Carassius carassius)
  • Mud carp (Cirrhinus molitorella)
Background Information
Asian Carp distribution in relation to the Upper Mississippi River Lock and Dam system
The Upper Mississippi River (UMR) from the mouth of the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois, to the beginning of the commercial shipping channel at Minneapolis, Minnesota, covers a distance of about 843 river miles. In the UMR a series of 29 locks and dams control 642 miles of its northernmost portion. The heads at the dams during low flows range from about seven to 38 feet, but approach zero at most dams during high flows.

While UMR dams (i.e., upstream of Cairo, Illinois) have been thought, anecdotally, to present at least a partial barrier to native and nonnative fish passage, several studies have documented that that passage opportunities do occur and that some fish species can pass through the UMR system of dams.  Opportunities for passage vary due to hydrologic conditions at the dams, differences in dam design and operation, and differences in the swimming performance of fish. The UMR supports 143 species of native fish and numerous nonnative species. Nonnative species compose a high percentage of total fish biomass throughout the UMR system (varying among four Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) sampling locations from about 30 to 60%).  Most of the nonnative biomass is from Common carp, but recently numbers and biomass of invasive Asian carp have increased substantially.

The LTRMP was authorized under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 as an element of the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Environmental Management Program. The LTRMP is being implemented by the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, a U.S. Geological Survey science center, in cooperation with the five UMR System states (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin).

Nonnative fish dispersal into the UMR may be slowed at Lock and Dam 19, which has the highest head (36 feet) among dams in the mid-portion of the UMR system and is a more substantial barrier to fish migration than other dams, including Lock and Dam 11 (Wilcox et al. 2004). Asian carp have achieved notable abundance in the lower reaches of the UMR system.  This has been widely reported in the media.  Asian carp are now commercially harvested in those areas.
Monitoring of environmental trends, including the occurrence and abundance of native and nonnative fish species, in the UMR has occurred under the LTRMP.  Since 1989 the LTRMP has conducted ongoing fish studies in four “Study Areas for Long Term Resource Monitoring Fish Sampling,” which include pools 4, 8, 13, 26 (behind the respectively-numbered dams) and the open river reach below the lock and dam system (see a map of the study areas here).
Asian carp (grass, bighead and silver carp) were first collected by the LTRMP in Pool 26 at Alton, Illinois, in 1993. As of 2004, those species have not been collected by LTRMP[1] above Pool 26, but a few individuals have been collected by other means (commercial fishing operations and recreational anglers[2]) as far north as Pool 4 (Lake City, Minnesota).   No LTRMP sampling has occurred in pool 11, upstream of Lock and Dam 11; the closest LTRMP sampling to Lock and Dam 11 occurs at pool 13 (Bellevue, Iowa). 
Ecology and fate of nonnative species in the UMR system
Once established, nonnative species are nearly impossible to control, and then only at great expense. The Mississippi River and its principal tributaries provide a highway for nonnative species to travel from areas as geographically disparate as the Atlantic Gulf Coast and the Laurentian Great Lakes to the interior of the North American continent. As evidenced by recent data, recently established populations of silver and bighead carp in the southern portions of the UMR system can be expected to increase in abundance and expand their distribution within the UMR. Additional species, including round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceusare) are poised to invade the UMR from the Great Lakes and from down river sources, respectively. Because of the ability of many nonnative fish species to compete with and displace native species, nonnative species will remain a principal threat to native biodiversity in the foreseeable future in the Mississippi River drainage.
Contact for additional information on nonnative fish species, including Asian carp:
Brian Ickes, Research Statistician
U.S. Geological Survey
 Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
2630 Fanta Reed Road
 La Crosse, Wisconsin 54603
Phone: 608.783.6451
Citations for fish information summarized above:
2007 Annual Status Report: A Summary of Fish Data in Six Reaches of the Upper Mississippi River System

 Johnson, B. L., and K. H. Hagerty, editors. 2008. Status and trends of selected resources of the Upper Mississippi River System. U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin, December 2008. Technical Report LTRMP 2008-T002. 102 pp + Appendixes A–B.


[1] It should be noted that LTRMP sampling methods are relatively ineffective at collecting Asian carp; therefore, LTRMP estimates of their proportion in the total catch are probably low. So, although no trends were apparent in LTRMP data from the southern reaches of the UMR, LTRMP estimates of Asian carp biomass may be low and the percentage of nonnative biomass may actually be increasing in these reaches.

[2] In the fall of 2008, a commercial fishing operation netted one silver carp, two grass carp and one bighead carp in Pool 8, which stretches from La Crosse south to Genoa, Wisconsin. This was the first confirmed silver carp reported in Wisconsin and the first seen upstream of Clinton, Iowa. Several more silver carp were captured in Pool 8 in early 2009, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.