Fisheries Committee on June 18th, 2012
Evidence of meeting #43 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was great.
A recording is available from Parliament.
On the agenda
MPs speaking
Also speaking
- David Ullrich Executive Director, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
I really can't, and I'm sorry to say that; we put all of our emphasis on the technical and engineering side of things.
We knew this would be a huge challenge. Actually, as recently as Friday afternoon I was meeting with representatives of the Bank of Montreal about creative approaches to this.
I hesitate to commit the funds of any of our cities, but my sense is that cities view this as being so important that at the point down the road when decisions are made about this, I think they would be prepared to pay their fair share. The whole question is what is that fair share?
4:55 p.m.
NDP
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
NDP
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
June 18th, 2012 / 4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Allen Tobique—Mactaquac, NB
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Ullrich, for being here.
I have a couple of questions. First, with respect to the infrastructure and what would be needed, who has the final decision on it? Is it the government or is it the Army Corps of Engineers? I see they're doing their study as well. Who has the final say?
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
It would be the U.S. Congress that would ultimately decide, because they would decide if the money could be spent. The Corps of Engineers is doing all of the technical work, but a project of this magnitude would go to Congress.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Allen Tobique—Mactaquac, NB
Okay.
You talked a little bit about the use of rotenone in a certain section of the river.
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
Yes.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Allen Tobique—Mactaquac, NB
How big an area was actually done with the rotenone, and how did that work? Was it effective? And how could you tell if it was effective?
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
If I am remembering correctly, I think it was a three- or four-mile stretch of the river.
There was a lot of dead fish: that's how you could tell it was effective. They did find, I think, only one dead Asian carp out of all of the fish that were there.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
Pretty much everything; it's probably not 100%, but it's a pretty high rate.
They were very concerned, because they had to take the electric barrier down to do this maintenance work. I think it was a 24- to 48-hour period. They gave a really intense dose of rotenone. If I'm remembering correctly, it was a three- or four-mile stretch of the river, or perhaps a two- or three-mile stretch, something like that, so it was pretty substantial. It's fairly wide, and relatively deep as well.
5 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Allen Tobique—Mactaquac, NB
Okay, thank you.
Just looking at your map here on other pathways, there are 18 potential aquatic pathways. I look at the Ohio River, which originates out of Pittsburgh and comes down through.... If the carp are that far up the Mississippi, are there instances when they've made their way up the Ohio River?
5 p.m.
Executive Director, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
Yes.