LANSING — Efforts to protect Great Lakes whitefish populations could receive a $500 million boost from the federal government.
Environmental groups and the state say the funding would support a decade of research on the invasive mussels that are mostly responsible for recent declines in whitefish populations.
“Invasive muscles like zebra and quagga mussels have filtered out a lot of the much needed nutrients and food — that has essentially caused the collapse of the food web,” said Marc Smith, Great Lakes policy director for the National Wildlife Federation.
Steve Lenart, tribal fisheries coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources, says that populations in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are seeing a decline in young fish that live long enough to reproduce.
Lenart says that without new efforts to protect whitefish populations, the species will likely continue to see declines into the future.
“If we do nothing, it’s hard to envision a scenario where things don’t continue to get worse,” he said.
Lenart says that the hundreds of millions being proposed would go a long way toward supporting new research and better coordinating efforts between organizations.
“It’s heartening to see that there appears to be a greater awareness on the issue, and so certainly, we would welcome anything that raises that awareness and provides funding for potential solutions,” he said.
Environmental groups like the Inland Seas Education Association say that the plan is reflective of broad public support for environmental protection, particularly around the Great Lakes.
“This type of investment is just kind of affirming to us that the work that we have been doing has been making an impact,” said Skyler Singleton, communications coordinator for the ISEA.
The proposal is set to be introduced soon by Rep. Tim Walberg, a Republican, and Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat.
Smith, with the NWF, says that in an era of increased partisanship and cuts to federal spending, he’s happy to see continued support for the protection of the Great Lakes.
“What we’re seeing is maybe a rekindling of support from members of Congress about the need for federal spending, because it does help and it can provide a value back to the people who live in this region,” he said. “The federal government has a role in investing that will help the population of fish — but it also will help our Great Lakes, economy and our quality of life here in the Great Lakes.”