When Life Gives You Lemons
BoatU.S. Magazine
December 2013
A processing plant in Wickliffe, Kentucky, began shipping to
overseas customers this summer. The product? Processed Asian
carp. The nuisance fish is caught nearby and headed for China,
where it's considered a delicacy. Two Rivers Fishery had just
opened in May of this year, and by August the plant was processing
around 6,000 pounds of carp a day. The first shipment to China
totaled 40,000 pounds, with an order pending for another million
pounds. Plant manager Jeff Smith told a local radio station that
the company planned to bring on more fishermen to fill the large
order.
Asian carp may be desirable elsewhere, but in the Mississippi and
Ohio rivers and the region around them, the fish are a serious
nuisance, destroying local ecosystems and even causing injury to
boaters. The fish grow to be 20 pounds and launch themselves out
of the water at the sound of a boat motor, sometimes with damaging
consequences for the passing boat and its occupants. And in the
Upper Mississippi and Illinois river watersheds, they are the
cause of an intense battle over the best way to keep them from
populating the Great Lakes and destroying native fish there.
In a statement at the plant opening in May, CEO Angie Yu touted
the economic and environmental benefits of the company's plan. "We
are thrilled to be a member of the Wickliffe/Ballard community,"
said Yu. "After years in the international fish importing and
exporting business, we have realized our dream of creating our own
factory. Our hope is that this facility benefits Kentucky's
waterways as well, removing Asian carp from the rivers and turning
them into a positive resource."
— Chris Landers