09-05-2025
Trump expected to sign memo supporting effort to prevent spread of invasive carp in the Great Lakes
An aerial view of the Brandon Road lock and dam near Joliet, Illinois. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Movement on a project to block invasive carp from the Great Lakes could be on the horizon, according to the Detroit News, which says President Donald Trump is expected to sign a memo Friday afternoon directing his administration to 'expeditiously implement' measures to prevent their migration and expansion into the region.
The memo offers its express support for the $1.15 billion Brandon Road Lock and Dam project, 'provided that the State of Illinois does not stand in the way of its construction.'
Last July, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the state would cosponsor the project alongside the United States Army Corps. of Engineers and the state of Illinois. The project targets a critical pinch point near Joliet, Ill., and would implement a series of complex deterrents against invasive carp and other nuisance species.
Whitmer pledged $64 million in support of the project, matching $50 million from Illinois and unlocking $274 million in federal funding for the effort.
While Michigan announced its first construction contract for the effort back in December, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a vocal Trump critic, has refused to move forward on the effort without a commitment from the president to supply the funds appropriated to the project, including $226 million allotted through President Joe Biden's Bipartisan infrastructure law.
During a meeting with Whitmer and Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall in April, Trump pledged to protect Lake Michigan, and by extension all of the Great Lakes, from the invasive fish. However, Pritzker remained unswayed, despite pressure from members of Michigan's Republican Congressional delegation.
Members of the Republican-led Michigan House of Representatives advanced a bipartisan resolution on Wednesday calling on Pritzker to move forward with the project to prevent the carp from spreading into the Great Lakes.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources warns that if invasive carp move into the Great Lakes, they could outcompete native species and greatly harm the ecology and economy of the entire Great Lakes region including rivers and inland lakes, and its $20 billion fishing and boating industries.
The fish can grow up to 60 pounds and eat 40% of their body weight each day. A single female can produce one million eggs, with only 10 females and 10 males needed to establish a population in the Great Lakes.
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