Michigan, Illinois in standoff with government as 'violent, destructive' fish overtake Great Lakes

Michigan and Illinois are aiming for an immediate resolution to a standoff with the federal government to prevent four invasive Asian carp species from overtaking the Great Lakes.

What's happening?

As USA Today reported, officials, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, are working to get a major U.S. Army project combating the prolific fish back on track.

Whitmer met with President Donald Trump in March to try to break a deadlock on federal funding that began after his second inauguration. 

Afterward, Trump appeared to endorse a resolution on the Brandon Road Interbasin project, which is central to preventing the spread of Asian carp, in a post on his Truth Social account.

"I'm working with Governor Gretchen Whitmer on trying to save The Great Lakes from the rather violent and destructive Asian Carp, which is rapidly taking over Lake Michigan, and all of the beautiful surrounds," Trump wrote. 

He then requested other nearby governors and Canada chip in to the effort. It's not 100% clear if that means that he'll release the funds needed to start construction.

Why is the delay on the Brandon Road Interbasin project important?

Initially introduced to the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s, the silver carp, black carp, bighead carp, and grass carp are recognized as significant threats. 

Their aggressive feeding habits are depleting waterways of valuable organisms, consuming up to 10% of their body weight daily, primarily in algae. They can attack boaters when caught by surprise, resulting in injuries.

Around the country, there are efforts to eat the fish, incentivize fishermen to catch them, and eradicate them in sustainable ways.

"If this fish ever establishes itself in the Great Lakes, it will severely impact the fishery and alter the ecosystem," Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin remarked on the Senate floor, per USA Today.

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The Brandon Road Interbasin project includes numerous mechanisms to stop the carp from entering the Great Lakes. Those include a flushing lock and dam, acoustic and electric deterrents, and an air bubble curtain, per USA Today.

While the project is approved, it is stalled due to some finger-pointing between the federal government and the states.

What's being done about the Brandon Road Interbasin project?

The most important move will be to get the project back on track and address Asian carp before it's too late.

Greg McClinchey, Great Lakes Fishery Commission director of policy and legislative affairs, expressed optimism after Trump's post. Still, he was wary that further inaction would be "a catastrophe in the making."

"The fish don't care if you're Republican or Democrat, state or federal," he told USA Today. "They are just continuing their march, and we have to get ahead of them."

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