MILFORD, Iowa — Minnesota has decided to help finance Iowa efforts to keep invasive carp out of the Iowa Great Lakes.

The Minnesota Natural Resources Department is providing $261,000 to help Iowa set up an electrical barrier atop Lower Gar Lake dam. The dam has an outlet to Mill Creek, which runs into the Little Sioux River. The river watershed includes several southwest Minnesota Lakes.

A temporary fence had been erected on an outlet at Lower Gar Lake to keep out the silver carp.

The carp reproduce quickly and consume large quantities of food. Experts fear the carp could crowd out native species and create ecological problems for Iowa’s chain of glacial lakes.

The silver carp have been known to leap into skiers and boats.