US to commit $78.5M to try to halt Asian carp

WKAR Public Media

Published February 8, 2010 at 4:42 PM EST

By AP

WASHINGTON –

The Obama administration says it will spend $78.5 million to halt the giant Asian carp, which officials fear could spread and possibly endanger the Great Lakes region's $7 billion fishing industry.

Federal officials say they'll consider opening navigational locks on Chicago-area waterways less frequently to prevent the carp from overrunning the Great Lakes.

Top officials of the Obama administration were meeting Monday with governors from several Great Lakes states.

Michigan has asked the Supreme Court to order navigational locks closed to block the carp from reaching Lake Michigan, but has so far been denied.

Officials announced last month that genetic material from the carp had been discovered in Lake Michigan for the first time.

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