Minnesota is known for its beautiful lakes and waterways, but these waters are threatened by the spread of aquatic invasive species. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and members of several agencies met at the Mississippi Headwaters today to celebrate a step forward in the battle against one non-native species in particular, asian carp.

Senator Klobuchar authored a bipartisan bill recently signed into law that will ban these species from coming up the Mississippi river by closing a lock. The new federal law will close the upper St. Anthony falls lock in one year to keep the invasive carp from spreading upstream. Senator Klobuchar says the lock in downtown Minneapolis is good point to stop the carp, because it doesn’t have as much traffic.

Fishing and boating industries contribute over $4 billion to Minnesota’s economy each year, and Senator Klobuchar says closing this lock will help stop invasive carp from having a devastating impact on our fisheries and tourism. Legislators hope to ultimately find a permanent solution by funding more research programs at the University of Minnesota to find a way to kill the carp without harming other native species.

By — Lakeland PBS

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