A recently released study confirmed that grass carp could invade and survive in all of the Great Lakes, causing significant damage in the process.
Evidence shows if the fish species makes it to all of the Great Lakes, it could cause significant damage since they would eat plants needed for fish habitat, according to the Associated Press.
The fight to prevent the species from reaching inland seas is currently underway, primarily on silver and bighead carp, which eat large amounts of plankton.
The Asian carp have already reached "most" of the Mississippi River basin and could reach the Great Lakes next through canals and rivers.
The U.S. government is willing to spend over $200 million on measures to try keeping them out, but nothing is a sure thing at this point, according to AP.
Introduced in the U.S. back in 1963 for lake and pond preservation, the fish were dispersed around the country with the approval of state and federal agencies. They can now be found in over 45 states, according to AP.
In 2013, for the first time ever, grass carp had successfully spawned in the Great Lakes, according to researchers who conducted analysis of four fish captured in Ohio's Sandusky River, which is a tributary of Lake Erie.
At least 45 grass carp have been caught in the Great Lakes basin from 2007-12, according to researchers.
Half of those fish could reproduce, meaning the lakes have a "breeding population," according to AP.
Research was published online by the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
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