Klobuchar, Swanson want to step up efforts to fight Asian carp

Minnesota attorney general Lori Swanson and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar have a news conference this Monday morning to talk about stepping up efforts to fight the spread of Asian carp.

Klobuchar said she wants to fund more federal research into killing or disrupting the reproduction of the fish, which can grow to weigh as much as 100 pounds. They are known as voracious eaters that will starve out other species of game and other fish.

"Is there some kind of food that can be put in the water that won't hurt other fish?" Klobuchar said. "And also is there something we can do with their breeding or their eggs which will help reduce the number of these Asian carp, because that kind of research is key. We can put up all the electronic barriers, but in the end, the real key is to figure out how to eliminate the fish or greatly reduce them."

Last week, Swanson announced Minnesota was joining four other states in a lawsuit against the federal government and an Illinois water district to try to stop the fish from entering the Great Lakes in Chicago.