Friday, April 5, 2013
DNA findings in Mississippi River upstream and downstream from Coon Rapids Dam don't mean the invaders are here yet, according to media reports on new research.
Suspicions that DNA from Asian carp found in the Mississippi near Fridley don't necessarily mean the feared invaders are here have been borne out be new research, according to several news outlets. Minnesota Public Radio reported: The latest research on Asian carp in the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers shows a small number of the invasive fish, but probably not a reproducing population. The research released on Thursday indicates that the invasive fish have not become established in Minnesota. However, experts say the fish still pose an immediate threat in the two rivers. Tests last year, using improved techniques to identify the DNA of Asian carp in Minnesota waters, seem to contradict earlier studies which found evidence of the fish in …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
But warnings at latest state Asian Carp Summit say it's too late for barriers in MN.
A new federal study backs up earlier doubts about whether Asian-carp DNA found in the Mississippi River near the Coon Rapids Dam really means the live invaders are in Fridley waters—yet. See the study for yourself: Click on the PDF thumbnails for fact sheet, summary and full report. Or visit AsianCarp.us. Tim Schlagenhaft, Mississippi River manager for the DNR, told Fridley Patch after teams found Asian Carp DNA in the Mississippi River near Fridley that there could be explanations other than fish migration for the presence of DNA from Asian carp mucous and excrement. Birds or boats could be transporting the fish, Schlagenhaft said. The new research out of Chicago-area waterways from the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee suggests …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Fifth District congressman also departed for a visit to Somalia and proposed a solution to the Asian Carp invasion.
As Democrats spar with Republicans in Washington D.C. over solutions to the nation's debt, and the nation frets over looming mandatory cuts to the federal budget, Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) and 107 other lawmakers pressured President Barack Obama to refuse cuts to national social safety-net programs. According to Salon.com , Ellison and members of the all-Democratic Congressional Progressive Caucus issued a letter opposing any reduction in entitlement benefits. The effort was lead by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), although Ellison co-chairs the caucus. The liberal lawmakers are particularly concerned that Democratic leaders will agree to changes in how Social Security benefits are indexed to inflation through a procedure known as the "…
Friday, January 25, 2013
Fourth district U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum reintroduced a bill Wednesday to fight the spread of Asian Carp.
Editor's note: The following is a press release from the office of Rep. Betty McCollum. Representatives Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) introduced the bipartisan Strategic Response to Asian Carp Invasion Act (H.R. 358). Five Members of Congress from Minnesota – Representatives Michele Bachmann (MN-06), Rick Nolan (MN-08), Erik Paulsen (MN-03), Collin Peterson (MN-07), and Tim Walz (MN-01) – also support H.R. 358. This bill helps state and local governments effectively reduce the spread of Asian carp in the United States. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Republican Pat Toomey (R-PA) introduced counterpart legislation in the Senate. “The growing spread of Asian Carp demands a coordinated, holistic response from the private …
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
It's time for Congress to act to close the St. Anthony Falls locks, said the Star Tribune.
In an editorial Tuesday, the Star Tribune urged Congress to close the locks at St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis to stop invasive Asian carp from reaching Fridley and points north: Minnesota legislators and Gov. Mark Dayton deserve credit for moving aggressively at the state level to combat the carp. But congressional action is needed to take the strongest step possible to deter the invasion: closing the Upper St. Anthony lock near the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. The falls there have long been a natural, physical barrier to aquatic life moving upstream. But the lock's use likely allows carp to hitchhike in the water that moves recreational boaters and limited barge traffic from one segment of the river to another. Closing the lock …
Monday, August 27, 2012
Check back daily for quick hits of Minnesota State Fair information.
Day 5: Aug. 27 It's Seniors and Kids Day at the fair, and ticket prices are discounted by $3 for those over 64 and under 13. The rides at Mighty Midway and Kidway have a one-ticket discount all day. If you're concerned about Asian carp or zebra mussels in local bodies of water, check out the "CSI-like invasive species" display at the Department of Natural Resources booth. Drug-sniffing K-9 dogs, rollover simulations, airbag deployments and the specialty vehicles and units of the Minnesota State Patrol will be on West Dan Patch all day. The Happy Together tour‚ featuring The Turtles with Flo & Eddie, The Monkees lead singer Micky Dolenz, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, The Grass Roots and The Buckinghams—hits the grandstand at 8 p.m. Tickets …
Monday, July 30, 2012
They constitute 90 percent of the fish in areas where they get established, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
They weigh 100 or more pounds, fly through the air and can knock out a boat's windshield—or a person. And by all accounts, Asian carp are headed Fridley's way. The leading indicator of the coming invasion is Asian carp DNA in the Mississippi River. Scientists have found it in "Pool 2" (between Hastings and St. Paul's Ford Dam), the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported—and as far upriver as the Coon Rapids Dam: As the carp spread northward, Minnesota officials aren't sure where—or how—to stop them. The spread can be slowed at locks and dams, according to Whitney Clark, director of Friends of the Mississippi. It might be possible to keep them away with underwater sounds, bubbles or electric current. But Clark said the fish eventually can get past…
Monday, March 12, 2012
The 5th District congressman criticized GOP legislators for refusing to allow a vote on measures that once had bipartisan support.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) praised Friday’s announcement that the economy added 227,000 jobs in February—even as he implied Republicans are stalling on jobs legislation for political gain. “Republicans in Congress need to work with the President to create jobs,” a news release from Ellison’s office quoted the 5th District congressman. “The President’s American Jobs Act contains job-creation measures that Republicans and Democrats have supported in the past, yet Republicans refuse to even vote on it. Half of Americans believe Republicans are intentionally stalling efforts to jumpstart our economy. Good news on jobs is only bad news if you’re trying to sabotage our recovery.” Ellison called for Congress to approve a package of emergency jobs …
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Catch follows find of the fishes' DNA at Coon Rapids Dam near Fridley.
The Coon Rapids Dam near Fridley is the farthest north that scientists have found DNA evidence of invasive Asian carp in Minnesota. Now the real thing—including silver carp that leap out of water—are within 120 miles of Fridley, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Monday. The DNR confirmed reports that fishermen near Winona, MN, last week caught a bighead carp and a silver carp. “We hope this galvanizes meaningful action to slow down the upriver movement of Asian carp while we figure out ways to control and deal with their impacts,” said Paul Labovitz, superintendent of the National Park Service's Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, in a statement from the DNR. (Labovitz is a resident of Fridley.) Experts …
The governor expressed support for fish barrier near Fridley in op-ed.
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Tuesday, March 6, 2012
"Funding is critically needed in this legislative session" for construction of a new fish barrier at the Coon Rapids Dam to halt migration of invasive Asian carp species, Gov. Mark Dayton said in an opinion column published Friday in Outdoor News. The column appeared just a day after fishermen in Winona caught silver carp and bigmouth carp at the farthest point upstream in the Mississippi River so far. The Coon Rapids Dam, just upriver from Fridley, is the farthest north on the Mississippi River that scientists have detected DNA from Asian carp. Another possible barrier is the upper dam at St. Anthony Falls in downtown Minneapolis, just downriver from Fridley. In January legislators introduced a bill to appropriate funds for electric …
Renee Wawa
9:15 am on Monday, July 30, 2012
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