(CN) - Michigan lost its second bid for a Supreme Court order forcing the closure of Chicago-area shipping locks and canals to keep invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.
The justices on Monday declined Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox's renewed request for an injunction. Cox said the injunction was needed to keep the species from disrupting the food chain by devouring massive quantities of plankton.
Asian carp have been migrating up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers toward the Great Lakes since the 1990s, when they escaped from breeding ponds during floods.
The species can grow up to 100 pounds and can consume up to 40 percent of their bodyweight daily in plankton.
Scientists have expressed concern that the voracious fish will disrupt the food chain in the Great Lakes, prompting calls for the immediate closure of locks and canals connecting the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan watersheds.
The Supreme Court rejected Cox's first bid for an injunction in January, but has yet to decide if it will take up a larger lawsuit over the invasive species.
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