REUTERS/Illinois Department of Natural Resources/Handout
Five states surrounding the Great Lakes have sued to keep invasive Asian carp out of their water.
Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania filed the suit, according to AOL News, against the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and the Army Corps of Engineers to close shipping locks between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. This, they say, will keep the fish from migrating from the river to the Great Lakes.
TIME featured the fish in its Top 10 Invasive Species list for a reason. They can weigh up to 100 pounds and measure up to 20 feet, and eat 40 percent of their weight daily in plankton, thus knocking out the bottom of food chains. Even crazier, they launch themselves out of the water when startled, often hitting — and injuring — boaters.
At this point, the carp are kept out of Lake Michigan through an electric barrier. Even still, a fish was first found in Lake Michigan less than a month ago, and experts fear they could take over local fish populations and threaten the fishing industry. This suit, the states hope, will keep the monster fish out.