Associated Press - November 20, 2009 10:34 PM ET

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - Officials say Asian carp may have breached a Chicago-area electronic barrier designed to prevent the invasive fish from upsetting the ecosystem in the Great Lakes.

Major General John Peabody of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer said today that although the fish have not yet been spotted in the critical area, scientists recently collected 32 DNA samples of Asian carp between the barrier and Lake Michigan.

If the feared bighead and silver carp have gotten through the $9 million barrier, the only remaining obstacle between the carp and Lake Michigan is a navigational lock on the Calumet River.

The voracious fish could jeopardize a $7 billion sport fishing industry if they get into the Great Lakes.

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