CHICAGO, December 21, 2009 (AFP) - The state of Michigan appealed to the US Supreme Court Monday to shut down Chicago-area waterways in order to block the spread of invasive Asian carp.

The massive fish are known for endangering fishermen by jumping out of the water when spooked by the sound of a motor boat and threaten native ecosystems with their voracious appetites.

Officials have already installed expensive electric barriers to block the carp from making their way up from the Mississippi River basin into Lake Michigan and the rest of the Great Lakes.

But traces of the fast-breeding carp - which can grow up to seven feet long (2.1 meters) and weigh 150 pounds (68 kilos) - were found just a mile from the electric barrier in the Chicago Canal last month.

Officials poisoned a 5.7 mile (nine kilometer) stretch of the canal to try to block the advance and get a better gauge on how pervasive the carp had become by examining the hundreds of dead fish they could dredge out.

While no Asian carp were found beyond the electric barrier, one was discovered in the canal and officials said more were likely present. Officials pledged new efforts to try to block their progress and the White House allocated $13 million to help with the fight.

But Michigan's attorney general said Monday those efforts were not "enough to assure us the Lakes are safe."

Federal officials have warned that the carp could have a "devastating effect on the Great Lakes ecosystem and a significant economic impact" on the seven billion dollar sport and commercial fishing industry.

The carp aggressively compete with native species and could quickly become the dominant species because they are well suited to the Great Lakes and would have no predators, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said.

"Once in the lake, it would be very difficult to control them," the fish and wildlife service said on a dedicated website, www.asiancarp.org.

"That's why the waterways must be shut down until we are assured that Michigan will be protected," Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said in a statement.

"Stopping Asian carp is an economic and environmental necessity for Michigan," Cox said.

"The Great Lakes are an irreplaceable resource. Thousands of jobs are at stake and we will not get a second chance once the carp enter Lake Michigan."

The Army Corps of Engineers have cautioned that closing the locks and dams could raise the threat of flooding and threaten water quality for the area.

Chicago shipping companies have also complained that costs could rise if the canal were to close to barge traffic while local boaters have also protested losing access to Lake Michigan.

A spokeswoman for the Chicago area's regional water authority said shutting down the canal was not the answer.

"It's unfortunate that there would be an assumption that this would make some positive resolution come sooner than is truly feasible," Metropolitan Water Reclamation District spokeswoman Jill Horist said.

"Even if the locks were closed there's still a variety of ways for DNA or Asian carp to enter Lake Michigan."

Asian carp were originally imported to the southern United States in the 1970s to help keep retention ponds clean at fish farms and wastewater treatment plants.

Heavy flooding helped them escape into the Mississippi in the 1990's and they have since migrated into Missouri and Illinois rivers.