WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration says it will spend $78.5 million to halt the giant Asian carp, which officials fear could spread and possibly endanger the Great Lakes region's $7 billion fishing industry.

Federal officials say they'll consider opening navigational locks on Chicago-area waterways less frequently to prevent the carp from overrunning the Great Lakes.

Top officials of the Obama administration were meeting Monday with governors from several Great Lakes states. Michigan has asked the Supreme Court to order navigational locks closed to block the carp from reaching Lake Michigan, but has so far been denied.

Officials announced last month that genetic material from the carp had been discovered in Lake Michigan for the first time.

Asian carp are not indigenous to the Midwest but have proved exceptionally capable in moving their way upstream. They've been spotted a few miles from the Great Lake. Michigan officials call the animal a "public nuisance" and fear that "irreparable injury" will occur if the fish is able to swim into Lake Michigan. That's why they asked for the Supreme Court to intervene and close two locks that have served as a conduit for the fish.

The invasive Asian carp species is considered dangerous because of the fish's size, rapid rate of reproduction and voracious eating habits, according to the Environmental Protection Agency EPA). The species was introduced by U.S. catfish farmers to control algae, but spread quickly during floods and risk choking out other species.