Chicago is reportedly considering a drastic move to stop Asian carp from infesting North America's Great Lakes.

Authorities are reportedly mulling an idea that would block the city's canal system to stop Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan, according to BBC News.

"Twenty percent of the world's freshwater is in the Great Lakes, and from an economic standpoint it will affect shipping that folks in the UK and other parts of the world might rely on to get their goods and services here because they are going to cost more to transport," Roger Germann, of the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, said, according to BBC News.

A move would cost around $18 billion, though cheaper options are being looked into as well.

Another, more cheaper option, is eating them to extinction, according BBC News.

The fish species was originally introduced to southern U.S. states over three decades ago to control algal build-up in sewage treatment plants.

The fish escaped into the Mississippi River however and proliferated, eventually finding their way north towards the Great Lakes, according to BBC.

 It would take 25-years to close off the Illinois River Basin, where the species has supposedly taken over.

Dozens of them tend to leap out of the water as boats approach them.

"I've gone down the river and had these fish jump up and hit me in the face. It is a big problem for our natural species," said local environmental campaigner, Michael Beecham.

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