Riverkeeper calls on NYS to protect Hudson & Mohawk rivers from Erie Canal invasive species
March 24, 2022
Riverkeeper Team
Today, the Department of Environmental Conservation and Canal Corporation responded to public calls to address the risk of invasive species traveling into new waters via New York State canals.
The proposal doesn’t directly address the need to block invasive species from entering the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers via the Erie Canal. Scientists have called for such a measure for nearly a decade, and the Reimagine The Canals initiative has identified strategies that can and must be implemented.
The following is a statement by Dan Shapley, co-director of Riverkeeper’s Science and Patrol Program:
“Riverkeeper, hundreds of individuals and prominent scientists have called on Governor Kathy Hochul to listen to the science, act on the advice of experts, and implement a surgical, definitive and proactive strategy for preventing Asian carp and other species from transiting the Erie Canal and reaching the Mohawk and Hudson rivers. Today’s announcement includes limited steps to protect Lake Champlain from the most immediate threat, but doesn’t directly address the ongoing risk to the Mohawk and Hudson rivers. We’ll be seeking assurances that the solutions already identified for the Erie Canal by the Reimagine the Canals initiative will be implemented – without delay.”
For background on the issue, see this Riverkeeper blog post.
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Media contact: Leah Rae, lrae@riverkeeper.org, (914) 715-6821
