President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is working with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to protect the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp, saying the fish are "rapidly taking over Lake Michigan" and threatening the region's ecosystem.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he is collaborating with Whitmer, a Democrat, "on trying to save The Great Lakes from the rather violent and destructive Asian Carp," which he said are spreading through Lake Michigan and its surrounding waterways.
Trump added that he plans to involve other Great Lakes states in the effort.
"I'll be asking other Governors to join into this fight, including those of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, New York," he wrote.
Trump also said he is addressing environmental concerns in the West, writing that he is "working to save The Great Salt Lake, in Utah," which he warned "in a short period of time, if nothing is done, will have no water."
Asian carp, often referred to as invasive carp, have spread to much of the Mississippi River basin and are considered a major threat to the Great Lakes if they become established there.
Scientists say the species can outcompete native fish for food and disrupt aquatic ecosystems, potentially harming the region's multibillion-dollar fishing and recreation industries.
Federal and state officials have spent years attempting to keep the fish from reaching the Great Lakes through a series of barriers and proposed infrastructure projects near Chicago designed to block their movement between the Mississippi River system and Lake Michigan.