NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed an executive order establishing a commission that will provide advice on mitigating the invasion of Asian carp into the state’s lakes and river systems, according to a news release.
Asian carp were first imported to the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s and now threaten to upend aquatic ecosystems, starve out native fish and wipe out endangered mussel and snail populations along the Mississippi River and dozens of tributaries.
Nationally, state and federal agencies have spent roughly $607 million to stop them since 2004. Projects in the works are expected to push the price tag to about $1.5 billion over the next decade.
Lee signed the order Wednesday. The new Asian Carp Advisory Commission will provide its first report in October.
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