New lab to test for invasive fish species

Ottawa, ON – A new Asian carp science lab recently celebrated its opening in Burlington, ON. Rather than shipping samples of the invasive species for analysis outside of the country, the new lab will allow Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists to rapidly test samples collected in Canadian waters. Researchers will now get testing results in a matter of hours instead of days or weeks, saving both time and money in the ongoing monitoring to prevent Asian carp entry.

Employees from the new facility will also now be conducting routine early detection inspections in high-risk waterways, starting this summer.

Asian carp are among the top aquatic invasive species being monitored to prevent their arrival into the Great Lakes because they pose a significant threat to recreational and commercial fishing industries. In May 2012, the federal government allocated up to $17.5 million in funding to protect the Great Lakes from the threat of Asian carp. Those funds were allocated over five years for the prevention, early warning and management of these potentially destructive invasive species. The $400,000 allocated to the construction of this state-of-the-art lab, housed in the Canada Centre for Inland Waters, is part of this initiative.