U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a memo directing the federal government to prioritize efforts to stop invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.
“My administration is committed to protecting the Great Lakes – the world’s largest surface freshwater system, and a highly valued shipping avenue, resource for fishing and recreation, and source of high-quality drinking water – from the economic and ecological threat of invasive carp,” Trump said. “This threat affects every state that borders the Great Lakes: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Curbing this threat requires immediate and effective deployment of resources, infrastructure, and expertise. “
The invasive species was initially introduced to the United States in aquaculture facilities, where the fish are valued for consuming and controlling pests. However, the carp eventually escaped. Outcompeting local species, the fish have slowly expanded their habitat northward toward the Great Lakes, where experts predict they would cause massive ecological damage.
Federal and state governments have been working to stop the fish from reaching the Great Lakes basin, and in 2024, the Michigan government announced a USD 1.2 billion (EUR 1 billion) partnership between itself, the Illinois state government, and the Army Corps of Engineers for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project. The project includes “a complex series of invasive carp and aquatic nuisance species deterrents” at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois – a natural choke point for the carp’s northward march to the Great Lakes.
The partnership included USD 114 million (EUR 100 million) in state funding and USD 274 million (EUR 241 million) in federal funding to start, but Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker delayed purchase of the last plot of land needed for the project after the Trump administration froze federal infrastructure funding for the Illinois Department of Natural Resource. Pritzker said he would not move forward with the land buy until the federal government assured him that it would release funding for the project.
In April, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer met with Trump at the White House to urge the administration to support the project. Following the meeting, Trump vowed to stop the species’ northward advance.
“They’re very powerful fish. I see them – they jump out of the water, they jump at the fishermen,” Trump said after the meeting. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
On 9 May, Trump released the memo directing the federal government to “to achieve maximum speed and efficiency” in supporting the effort. Among other things, the president called on federal agencies to “streamline any permitting and environmental reviews and issue any requisite federal permits or approvals as quickly as possible.” He also directed the Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prioritize efforts to stop the progression of Asian carp.
In his memo, Trump attempted to put the onus on the Illinois state government for the project delay.
“The State of Illinois, where the Brandon Road Interbasin Project is located, must cease further delay in cooperating with this effort, for the sake of its own citizens and economy and for the sake of all of the Great Lakes States,” the president said.
However, Pritzker reiterated that he only paused the land purchase after the Trump administration froze infrastructure funding for his state. In late April, the governor said he had still not received a written assurance from the Trump administration that it would release the funding. However, with the president’s memo 9 May, Pritzker announced that the state finally had the necessary assurance from the federal government to move forward with buying the property.
“I am glad that the Trump Administration heard our calls about the importance of delivering federal funds for the Brandon Road Project and decided to finally meet their obligations to the State of Illinois and the Great Lakes region,” Pritzker said in a statement. “I have made clear that – in the interest of saving the Illinois taxpayer potentially hundreds of millions in liabilities – we would only move forward if given the proper assurances that the federal government would hold up their end of the bargain.”
In the memo, Trump set a 1 July deadline for Illinois to purchase the needed property in order to receive federal funding.
