Sending Asian Carp Home

Published on: April 6, 2010

The Asian carp problem has been a growing concern for great lake fisheries since the early 90s. They are like a bad house guest eating the native species out of house and home determined not to leave.

Both the American and Canadian governments along with many fishery organizations have come up with numerous, often expensive, but unsuccessful plans to get the population under control.

Now Big River Fish, a fresh water fish processor in Illinois, has come up with an idea. Big River Fish is packing up the unwanted house guests and sending them home to China where Asian carp is considered a delicacy.

The water in China is too muddy and polluted to raise quality carp. But in the Illinois River alone there is an estimated 100 million pounds of carp. Big River Fish plans on sending 30 million pounds over the Pacific.

Amongst environmentalists there is some questions on the size of the carbon foot print of sending 30 million pounds of fish to China. Ultimately, for the conservation of the Great Lakes, it was agreed that the benefits out weighed any possible consequences.