An Edmonton, Alberta, trucking company and a Markham, Ontario, truck driver have been fined a total of $75,000 for possessing live Asian carp in Ontario, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources announced.
Alltheway Trucking Inc. and Yong-Sheng Zhang were each found guilty under the federal Fisheries Act for possessing live invasive fish. The company was fined $70,000 and the truck driver was fined $5,000. In addition, more than 3,000 kilograms of grass carp was forfeited to the Canadian government.
Asian carp became an invasive species in the U.S. after escaping from an Arkansas fish farm in the 1970s. They have been making their way up the Mississippi River, and many biologists are concerned that they could decimate the aquatic food chain and impact other fish species in the Great Lakes if they ever reach them.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month released a report detailing proposed measures to stop the invasive fish from reaching the lakes, at an estimated cost of $18 billion.
Why the truck was carrying Grass carp, a type of Asian carp, is unclear, but the fish is considered a delicacy in some regional Chinese cuisine.
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