Firm fishes for commercial uses of pesky Asian carp

HAVANA, Ill. -- If you can't beat 'em, catch 'em and sell 'em.

That is what a central Illinois company, with an assist from the state, is thinking about doing in the ongoing battle with the pesky Asian carp.

With a $100,000 state grant, Carp Protein Products is studying what it can do with the more than 20 million pounds of carp it says it could pull from Illinois rivers every year.

Jim Sneed, president of the Havana-based company, said the firm has been trying to determine just how many of the fish there are in and around Illinois, and it is completing the study on whether the carp problem can be turned into a business.

The voracious carp, which can grow to more 100 pounds and devour food needed by other fish, have officials worried that if they reach the Great Lakes they could threaten a $4.5 billion sport and commercial fishing industry. Officials have looked for ways to halt the carp's progress, including setting up an electric barrier south of Chicago, which gives the fish a non-lethal jolt.

Sneed would not say exactly what could be made out of the carp because of trade concerns. But he said the company will release a business plan this month about the potential carp products.

He was sure, he added, that there is a market waiting to be tapped.

"One product -- a food product -- we can sell immediately, internationally, not just the domestic market," he said.

"We've found other products we can make that need further development."

In Illinois, where the state's Department of Natural Resources estimates the Asian carp population in the Illinois River alone is 50 million to 60 million pounds, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said the $100,000 grant may help the state's battle with the fish.

"The Asian carp is a serious threat to the health and well-being of the Illinois River and the communities alongside it," he said in a statement. "By supporting this important survey, we're investing in the vitality of one of our critical natural assets and sparking new economic opportunity that could pay real dividends."