Asian Carps May Have Been Found In The Mississippi River Near The Twin Cities, The Associated Press Reported.

Asian Carps

Asian carp are considered dangerous to any river ecosystem because they eat plankton and disrupt the food chain. They also endanger boaters by jumping 10 feet out of the water when startled.

Croix River between Minnesota and Wisconsin. The presence of silver carp DNA means that the fish could be present in a stretch of the river that include 72 miles of the Twin Cities and the Mississippi National River and Recreation area.

The DNR plans to immediately hire a commercial fisherman to begin searching for Asian carp in the affected area of the river.

The Corps study is due in 2015. Critics say that's too slow, with voracious bighead and silver carp lurking near an electric barrier 37 miles from Lake Michigan. Water samples taken past the barrier have turned up DNA of Asian carp, although there's disagreement over whether the unwanted fish have gotten through. Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Ohio have filed a federal lawsuit demanding a quicker timetable.

David Ullrich, director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities group, said their study should help the Army Corps move faster and build public support for government spending that will be required to construct the barriers.