July 15, 2010

Illinois signs Asian carp export agreement with China

Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn has signed an agreement with China to export up to 30 million pounds of Asian carp a year from the Illinois River.

Officiallly, the state is entering into an agreement with Chinese processing firm Beijing Zhuochen and Big River Fisheries to harvest carp from Illinois rivers. Big River will process, package and ship the fish to Zhuochen for resale in international markets where the fish is a delicacy.

The move is aimed at reducing the population of the invasive species in downstate Illinois.

The deal is one of the most aggressive efforts to address the Asian carp problem, and is a critical step to long-term economic sustainability and the success of the commercial fishing industry, Quinn said in a press release.

"We believe the people of China who like to eat Asian carp will find this is the best anywhere on Earth," Quinn said.

Illinois is investing US$2 million to upgrade facilities at Big River Fisheries in Pearl, a fish processing plant that ships millions of pounds of Asian carp to China and other countries annually.

Expanding the plant's capabilities means Big River could process and ship 30 million pounds of Asian carp to upscale Chinese restaurants by 2011, Quinn said.

If it runs at full capacity, Big River could process up to 50 million pounds of fish, said Ross Harano, Big River's director of international sales.

"Just like people pay a premium for Angus beef, we believe people will pay a premium for this," Harano said. "We're marketing it as 'Wild Mississippi River Fish.' It's all in how you market it over there."