October 16, 2007

US firm exports "nuisance fish" back to Asia

A fish processor in the US state of Illinois is bucking the trend of Asian seafood being imported into the US and exporting fish to Asia instead.

The company, Big River Fish, sells the Asian carp, a nuisance fish that is disrupting the river's ecosystem, back to Asia and would soon export the fish to Europe. The company is also selling fish to the West Coast in the US.

Warren Ribley, director of operations with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), discussed Big River Fish, at the recent Illinois River Conference.

The Asian carp was imported from Asia in the 1970s for fish farms, but some of the fish escaped those facilities into Midwestern rivers and streams during floods. The carp has reportedly infested the Illinois River and is crowding out native species. The fish can grow up to 80-100 pounds and can eat up to 40 percent of their body weight in plankton a day.

Big River Fish is exporting 40,000-pound containers of frozen Asian carp to Asia, Lisa McKee, the company's chief executive officer, told FarmWeek. Big River also is selling frozen fish to the West Coast.

Some companies, such as Schafer Fisheries in Illinois, sell up to 2 million pounds a year to American cities.