Full Text of SR0659 97th General Assembly
SR0659 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Silver and bighead carp, also known as "Asian | 3 | | carp", are considered invasive species in the Mississippi and | 4 | | Illinois Rivers; Asian carp can consume plankton at an alarming | 5 | | rate, with bighead carp sometimes growing to over 5 feet in | 6 | | length and weighing 100 pounds or more; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Asian carp females can carry over 2 million eggs | 8 | | at a time; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Asian carp grow quickly such that adults exceed | 10 | | the gape size of all but the largest predators; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Asian carp are voracious eaters, consuming up to | 12 | | 20% of their body weight per day in plankton; they compete with | 13 | | native fish species for food and can quickly overtake native | 14 | | populations of fish in our rivers, lakes, and streams; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Policymakers, scientists, natural resource | 16 | | professionals, the fishing industry, and citizens are | 17 | | extremely concerned about the spread of Asian carp to the Great | 18 | | Lakes; Illinois' $15 billion-dollar shipping industry has been | 19 | | threatened through ongoing legal actions by neighboring Great | 20 | | Lakes states in an attempt to close Chicago's navigation locks, | 21 | | a possible point for Asian carp to access Lake Michigan; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Over the past 2 years, efforts by the Illinois | 2 | | Department of Natural Resources (the Department), through | 3 | | contracts with Illinois commercial fishermen, have netted the | 4 | | removal of over 415 tons of bighead and silver Asian carp from | 5 | | the Illinois River; in some cases, commercial fishers in the | 6 | | Illinois River have caught tens of thousands of pounds of Asian | 7 | | carp in a single day; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, At the same time Asian carp are processed into | 9 | | fertilizers or pet foods, America's food banks are experiencing | 10 | | a significant need for healthy, protein-rich food sources | 11 | | capable of meeting the increasing demands of communities of | 12 | | need; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, In a 2011 Public Health Opinion to the Department, | 14 | | the Illinois Department of Public Health determined that using | 15 | | Asian carp as a food source "could be beneficial" and "not | 16 | | expected to pose a public health hazard."; furthermore, the | 17 | | Department of Public Health stated: "Fish tissue data currently | 18 | | available for Asian carp caught from the Mississippi River and | 19 | | lower Illinois River would place many of these fish in the | 20 | | 'unlimited consumption' category"; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Asian carp are high in protein and healthy Omega-3 | 22 | | fatty acids; additionally, since they only eat plankton and are |
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| 1 | | not bottom feeders, Asian carp are low in mercury and other | 2 | | contaminants; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, The Department established Target Hunger Now!, | 4 | | one of the largest humanitarian efforts ever undertaken by the | 5 | | State, to encourage hunters and commercial anglers to donate | 6 | | deer and Asian carp, respectively, for processing into healthy, | 7 | | ready-to-serve meals; partnering with Feeding Illinois, | 8 | | Illinois American Water, and other corporate, not-for-profit, | 9 | | and governmental partners, the Department is innovatively | 10 | | feeding communities and lessening the Asian carp threat to our | 11 | | waterways; the program has already served more than 2,200 meals | 12 | | to people in need; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, On Thursday, January 26, 2012, the Department | 14 | | brought the Target Hunger Now! program to Peoria's South Side | 15 | | Mission where delicious Asian carp meals were prepared and | 16 | | served to children, adults, and families; Peoria is located on | 17 | | the banks of the Illinois River, where Asian carp are found in | 18 | | abundance; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Many small Illinois businesses, including meat | 20 | | and fish processing plants and large commercial fishing crews, | 21 | | will add jobs to meet the increased demand for processed Asian | 22 | | carp; the success of Target Hunger Now! and other similar | 23 | | programs will create a demand for Asian carp and drive market |
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| 1 | | opportunities that will create job opportunities in multiple | 2 | | industries; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Using Asian carp as a healthy food source is a | 4 | | major step towards eradication of the fish in Illinois waters, | 5 | | providing a healthy and delicious meal for our citizens, | 6 | | protecting the waterway shipping industry from forced closures | 7 | | of our locks and dam systems, and adding new jobs in many | 8 | | sectors of Illinois' economy, including the fishing, | 9 | | processing, and transportation industries; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Public and media perception of this fish species | 11 | | must change if they are to be effectively used as a quality | 12 | | food source at not only food banks, but by all Illinoisans; | 13 | | therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 15 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, That we urge the Department | 16 | | to continue building strong partnerships with Feeding | 17 | | Illinois, Illinois American Water, and other corporate, | 18 | | not-for-profit, and governmental entities and to continue | 19 | | employing creative solutions, including Target Hunger Now!, to | 20 | | battle the Asian carp problem in our waterways while providing | 21 | | a protein-rich, low-mercury meal for Illinoisans; and be it | 22 | | further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That we urge further use of Asian carp as a | 2 | | healthy food source as well as the development of markets for | 3 | | the catch, processing, and distribution of Illinois' Asian | 4 | | carp, thereby reducing the overpopulation of Asian carp in our | 5 | | waterways, promoting Illinois' commercial fishing industry, | 6 | | protecting Illinois' shipping industry, creating new jobs for | 7 | | our citizens, and forming new international export | 8 | | partnerships; and be it further
| 9 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 10 | | presented to the President of the United States, the Governor | 11 | | of the State of Illinois, the Director of the Illinois | 12 | | Department of Natural Resources, the members of the Illinois | 13 | | congressional delegation, the Governors of the Great Lakes | 14 | | states of Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, | 15 | | Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and the Minister of Natural | 16 | | Resources for the Government of Ontario.
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