The following is a statement by Robert Hirschfeld, Senior Water Policy Specialist at Prairie Rivers Network in response to the IDNR announcement of the new name for invasive carp. Robert has worked on the issue of aquatic invasive species for more than a decade. Any quotes can be attributed to him.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Robert Hirschfeld, Prairie Rivers Network, (217) 344-2371, ext. 205
Those Who Can’t Do, Rebrand.
Illinois DNR gives invasive carp a new name, but will the public buy it?
Champaign – Today the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced a new name for invasive carp – “copi” – in the hopes that a rebranding will make the fish sound more appetizing for human consumption. While the prospect of asking the public to eat the carp problem out of existence is surely enticing to the state’s natural resource managers, this approach neglects the true source and scale of what’s wrong with Illinois’ rivers.
As an advocate for the state’s waters, I would rather see IDNR’s limited funds – this budget for this initiative was $600,000 – used to restore the health of Illinois’ rivers so that they served as better fish and wildlife habitat for a broad range of species. Illinois DNR needs to focus on restoring habitat in and along rivers and reducing pollutant loads rather than guessing at the public’s eating preferences.
For decades, river management decisions have prioritized industry over the community of life that calls a river home. Rivers have been dammed and channelized, severed from their natural floodplains, and treated as an open sewer for toxic pollutants, all of which has significantly stressed native fish and wildlife populations. Meanwhile invasive carp have thrived in these degraded waters and exploited a wide-open, human-made niche. If our rivers were understood and managed to be more than agricultural drainage and shipping lanes, the ecological balance would not tilt so heavily in favor of invasive carp at the expense of native species.
By focusing its time and resources on “marketing carp,” the state is attempting to outsource the carp problem to the private sector. For years, state officials have repeated an admission of surrender: “If you can’t beat ’em, eat ‘em.” The strategy announced today is the culmination of that approach, amounting to little more than wishful thinking that people will suddenly want to eat “copi.”
A policy of marketing carp for human consumption would seem to incentivize a long-term sustainable carp fishery in Illinois waters. This is a highly questionable policy decision by IDNR and would seem to run counter to their mission to protect and conserve the state’s resources. IDNR should focus on restoring health to Illinois’ rivers so that all species – not just invasive “copi” – can thrive.
At Prairie Rivers Network (PRN), we protect water, heal land, and inspire change. Using the creative power of science, law, and collective action, we protect and restore our rivers, return healthy soils and diverse wildlife to our lands, and transform how we care for the earth and for each other. PRN is the independant Illinois affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.
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