The fight to keep an invasive fish species out of the Great Lakes is getting a helping hand from the federal government.
The government announced this week that it will put $20 million toward keeping Asian carp out of Canadian waters.
Asian carp were imported to the United States in the 1970s, and have since overrun the Mississippi River and its tributaries. They are considered an invasive species, as they are able to take food and shelter from other fish and do not have any natural predators.
In recent years, the carp have been spotted in Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, where one report has found that they could become the most common fish. A carp was also found in the Grand River in 2013.
The government says its funding will be put toward early warning surveillance activities, as well as outreach activities.
There have been 25 Asian carp caught in Canadian waters since 2012.
