From the Gulf to the Great Lakes, from Denver to Knoxville, Bighead and Asian Silver carp have overtaken manmade lakes and large sections of rivers threatening the ecosystem and the multi-million dollar recreational and commercial fishing industry.

These two carps are invasive species introduced into fish farm ponds in the central Midwest in the 1970’s to clean murky pond water. Flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers caused ponds to overflow, allowing the carp to escape into rivers and reproduce in the wild.

llinois River Asian Silver carp jump out of the water after being disturbed by sounds of watercraft. The invasive species, which can reach four-feet in length and weigh up to 100 pounds, wreak havoc on native fish by gobbling up plankton. Photo: Illinois River Biological Station/ Nerissa Michaels

Eight years ago, Louisiana Chef Philippe Parola approached theLouisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Boardexpressing his concern for native species of fish in Louisiana and the Gulf threatened by the rapidly growing numbers of Asian carp, a fish with few predators to population growth. A single female can produce up to one million eggs per year. If left unchecked the impact could severely damage recreational fishing, tourism, and the watersports industry up and down the Mississippi.
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