The Great Lakes Commission urges Congress to act immediately to protect water against the growing threat of invasive species. The commission's recommendations will be the focus of discussions scheduled for next week in Washington at the policy conference the day of the Great Lakes. Despite
several attempts, the legislative priorities of the Great Lakes Commission have so far failed in Congress. The only protective measures taken against invasive species come from some coastal states. Michigan has passed such legislation on ballast water to stop the proliferation of zebra mussels.
According to the director general of the Great Lakes Commission, Tim Eder, it would be better to establish standards that apply to both U.S. states and Canadian provinces affected.
Several species are already wreaking havoc
Invasive species are of concern in the Great Lakes since the emergence in the '50s, the sea lamprey, a predator that has rocked the commercial fishing for trout. The best-known invasive species is the zebra mussel arrived in Europe in the ballast water of ships. It has completely upset the food chain native to the Great Lakes. Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) is a virus that infects various species of fish in the Great Lakes.
For its part, the Asian carp, a voracious predator and monstrous size escaped from fish farms of the Mississippi, just waiting for the right opportunity to enter the Great Lakes through the Chicago canal.
source: http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/regional/modele.asp?page=/regions/ontario/2007/03/02/008-espece-envahissante-gl . shtml
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