The Asian carp is notorious for aerial displays on hearing boats coming and have made their way up the Mississippi
River and its tributaries from a few releases apparently in the New Orleans area. This has alarmed biologists and ecologists who know
how much damage they can do to existing species living on minnows that eat fresh
water plankton, the free-floating algae. Asian carp are voracious plankton eaters and starve out the minnows.
Asian carp become quite large, 20 pound fish as they are extremely good at
consuming free-floating algae. Wherever they become
established the indigenous fish are usually extinquished.
In yet another lesson the government cannot do
anything right they have thrown million grant Dollar study after study at the
problem, but proposed no solution. So much for pointy headed, Ph.D. ecologists. Academia strikes again! Enter,
stage right, free enterprise...
American Heartland Fish Products has ventured into the
business of carp-rendering with the objective of turning this invasive species into
food for humans and livestock. The Asian carp is very bony with lots of tiny
bones making it difficult to deal with on a plate and in your mouth. It is just not attractive at dinner to be expectorating bones every minute. You do not serve this fish to ladies. They are not great sports about bone spitting.. Guys don't care... This is a real "guy fish," served with beer and football.
The Heartland Fish strategy is to run the carp through
a grinder that rips up the bones and meat to make a protein mush that is then
pressed into pellets for animals or humans if attractive recipes can be developed.
It is clear that “fish loaves” could be developed that would be a lot more tasty than “Vegie-burgers,” super
nutritious, no fat and some fish oil, all the rage in health food. I have one for Mackerel and "It is to die for, already."
It is not widely known dogs are wild about fish. When I was diving and would come home with a
bag of Sheepshead my German Shepard would go nuts until I gave him one to eat. Just
pour some sardine oil on your dog’s dish with his usual pellet chow and get out
of the way as he will be in there quicker than a possum can jump a June bug. A dog food maker who catches onto this has
his next million on the map.
When the carp first became a problem several American
fish companies were selling ours to China, but then both governments got into
the act with regulations making it uneconomic in their usual way of
screwing up anything. That Chinese
market could exist, but for Washington and Bejing.
Heartland and Schafer Fisheries are developing this
new market and product line which with all the potentials could not only control
the Asian carp and save our indigenous catfish, bass and crappies, but make a
lot of money. So it all comes back to, “When
you have lemons…”
Adrian Vance
Government will never get out of the way. Look at the Vape industry. The FDA (& the tobacco industry) refuse to say that it is a stop smoking aid. My wife finally quit those damn cigarettes after beginning to vape. She started out at 18mg of nicotine and is now vaping 6mg and 0mg juices. She had tried everything from patches, pills, hypnosis, staples in her ears, holistic meds - none would stick. She has now been vaping since January 1st and refuses to go back. No carcinogens, except the nicotine, all three other products are FDA approved for consumption, which you already do unknowingly by either eating them, breathing, then or touching them. So how is this bad. Because the tobacco companies are loosing customers and they're try to stop this 5-year old, 3 billion dollar industry, from growing any further.
ReplyDeleteYou are most like correct that the pressure on the electronic cigarette industry is coming from tobacco. Nothing talks like money to the elected ruling class. It may help if we would vote them all out in every election so they would not have any reason to collect campaign contributions as they were going home after one term.
DeleteAsian carp are some of the best tasting fish you can eat. A great video for preparation and explaining the taste and texture is: http://youtu.be/faZqIdGi87k. This fish could solve a lot of the problems that other fisheries are having, but people will avoid it just because it is a CARP or it has a few bones. If most Americans weren't so pathetic and ignorant they would see this as a silver lining.
ReplyDeleteIn my research I did read that they have great flavor and take seasoning very well, but the little bones are a problem. I have not eaten this fish, but had some very bony Sucker in my youth and all I remember was that it involved a lot of spitting out bones into your hand and I can see how that would offend the girls, but where it appears to be a new, low cost, high protein food source so spit already!
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