When carp were originally brought to North America from Asia, no one could have imagined how well they would thrive—or what problems their growth would bring to their new home. Now, residents of the Mississippi Basin are hoping a unique solution can curb the invasive population while providing delicious meals.
According to MinnPost, billions of dollars have already been spent to keep the carp population under control. States have installed electric barriers to prevent the species from entering the Great Lakes and offered per-pound incentives to fishermen who catch and kill the widespread invasive species.
Many of these efforts have been effective, but carp continue to reproduce at breathtaking rates, outpacing all efforts to control their population.
Those responsible are optimistic that with the right reorientation, the carp can become a sought-after commodity for people, pets and possibly both.
“A campaign to rename these products could potentially drive up their price and make it more profitable for people to fish for them,” said Ben Meadows, assistant professor of economics at the University of Alabama Birmingham, according to MinnPost.
There is a precedent for this assumption: the Chilean sea bass that is popular today was originally called “Patagonian hake,” which is much less appetizing.
“If we can get people to believe that (carp) is the food equivalent of tilapia, rainbow trout or catfish … that would set up a self-fulfilling cycle,” Meadows told the MinnPost.
Jim Garvey, a zoology professor at Southern Illinois University, agreed. “Carp are the perfect food in many ways,” he said simply.
In addition to serving carp in restaurants, proponents of the eating approach also propose using the invasive fish in dog food and pet treats. Meadows said that while the fish can often be too boney for her human customers, pet food processing centers can grind up the whole fish – bones included – to make it safe to use in dog food.
“This seems like a perfect little merger to me,” he enthused.
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