[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6475-H6476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          INVASIVE ASIAN CARP

  (Mr. KUSTOFF of Tennessee asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KUSTOFF of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise 
awareness about the single greatest threat to Tennessee's lake and 
river systems. Invasive Asian carp are destroying Tennessee's native 
fisheries across the State.
  If ignored, these fish will decimate recreation, sporting, and 
tourism industries that rely on more than 60,000 miles of streams and 
rivers in my State.
  For years, the focal point for combating Asian carp has been in the 
North, particularly the Great Lakes. However, this continued threat has 
spread through the Southeast. It is time to recognize that this species 
is invading States like Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama.
  Congress needs to take action, or we are going to lose some of the 
most biologically diverse rivers and bass fishing in the country.
  Asian carp have the capacity to destroy the food systems of highly 
valued recreational and commercial fisheries, which generate $2 billion 
in economic impact annually in Tennessee.
  Mr. Speaker, this issue cannot be ignored, and I implore my 
colleagues to work with me to combat the invasion of Asian carp in 
Tennessee and throughout the Southeast.

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