# Asian carp explosion



## coonripper (Jan 8, 2009)

Some of our Iowa rivers are becoming over run with Asian carp. Im trying to think of a use for these fish. I do grind some up for **** bait for the trapping season but that only takes a couple of these monster fish. I asked a fox farmer about feeding them to fox and he said it depleats their vitimin E and is not a good idea. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe as hog feed or something. would be nice to find a commercial use for such a problem fish.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

fish emulsion for fertilizer.
fish meal as a feed additive or again fertilizer.


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## copperkid3 (Mar 18, 2005)

tonight, that showed a boat motoring down a small waterway with cornfields on either side; probably 
no more than 20-25 feet wide. The carp were 'spooked' ahead of and behind the boat to the tune 
of approximately 100-150 fish in the air at any one time; both fore and aft of the boat. 
Occasionally a couple of fish would even come up and 'fly' into the boat. Figuring out a way
to trap or capture the fish economically and then get them either into the food chain for man's benefit; 
either as animal feed or fish sticks would be the way to a million dollar enterprise.


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## tamsam (May 12, 2006)

If carp come from clean water they are not that bad. Here is a good way to fix them but it is hard to do. First you need to find a green hickory board at least 6 inches wide. Fillet the carp out in 6in strips, place on board and season with your fav spices. Bake in oven or on grill until fish is done. Remove from heat and take fish off board. Throw fish in trash and eat the board. 
Really I have eaten carp and they aren't that bad. Sam


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## chamoisee (May 15, 2005)

Will pigs eat them? Can vitamin E be supplemented so they can be used as dog food? At the very least, free fertilizer!


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

I've ate Carp all my life.

big rockpile


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Time to get the canner out and make some good eat'n! Or the grinder and make yourself some good garden fertilizer.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Carp are excellent. Just fillet them, and finely score. We actually skin them rather than just scraping the fins, but some people do it the other way. Bread and fry. They are excellent.

Think of the Asian Carp as a blessing from God. Use them.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

mekasmom said:


> Carp are excellent. Just fillet them, and finely score. We actually skin them rather than just scraping the fins, but some people do it the other way. Bread and fry. They are excellent.
> 
> Think of the Asian Carp as a blessing from God. Use them.


Are you speaking of Asian carp specifically? I've eaten the regular carp that are not a recent introduction, and they are great, but have heard differing opinions on these Asian carp. Someone on here said he would eat one and report last summer, following some guidelines to prevent rapid decay, but I never saw the report.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I thought they were all Asain??
I prefer the little ones.


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## Guest (Feb 8, 2011)

Fish meal is a high quality animal feed component. If these carp are as plentiful as you make out and they don't have a high heavy metal or contaminants problem it seems like that would be a good way to dispose of quite a lot of them.


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## copperkid3 (Mar 18, 2005)

but for the European variety. This youtube clip shows what happens 
when you try it with the Asian variety......
these shooters were 'owned' by the fish!!! :runforhills:
*
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc-e8EGkLMo&NR=1[/ame]*

Definitely _*NOT*_ the way to harvest them.


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## Guest (Feb 8, 2011)

They're facing the wrong way with their bows! :lol:


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## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

coonripper said:


> Some of our Iowa rivers are becoming over run with Asian carp. Im trying to think of a use for these fish. I do grind some up for **** bait for the trapping season but that only takes a couple of these monster fish. I asked a fox farmer about feeding them to fox and he said it depleats their vitimin E and is not a good idea. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe as hog feed or something. would be nice to find a commercial use for such a problem fish.


Well, you know what the Indians used for fertilizer ?
There's a river by my garden land that teems w/'Suckers' in the spring when they run up. As a kid we speared them to fill barrels (as I recall, for a bear hunter for bait). They would congregate & try to figure out how to get through the old hydro dam still churning out power there .
If things go as I think they sooner or later will, I'll use these lowly fish for the garden.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

rickfrosty said:


> Well, you know what the Indians used for fertilizer ?
> There's a river by my garden land that teems w/'Suckers' in the spring when they run up. As a kid we speared them to fill barrels (as I recall, for a bear hunter for bait). They would congregate & try to figure out how to get through the old hydro dam still churning out power there .
> If things go as I think they sooner or later will, I'll use these lowly fish for the garden.


Everyone around here Gigs Suckers all Winter.Best eating fish around.

big rockpile


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

There's a company in IL(?) that has a contract to export 30 million pounds to China. There's every reason to think that they can be nearly eliminated by aggressive commercial fishing. Once the population is knocked down sterile fish can be released to disrupt their spawning.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

beaglebiz said:


> I thought they were all Asain??
> I prefer the little ones.


How do you eat the little ones with all those bones? We use the big ones, and score them.

to the other poster-- Asian carp, and all carp, taste good. I love them. Try them before you write them off.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

when I clean the fish, I gut and scale it. Cut slits in the fish and season. I like to wrap in foil, and grill. when the fish is done, open it up and you can lift the bones out...a whole attached skeleton.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Michigan and other great lake states has been fighting to get the canal closed so the asian carp does not get in the great lakes starting with Lake Michigan. Last news report I saw on this fight said somecompany had applied for a permit to net the carp and turn it into pet food and other products.

Only problem I would have with that is are they really going to sort the good fish Like bass, pike, and all the orher ones from the nets ??? I think not myself.

But there is some one out there that thinks they can make pet food from them on a commercial hook.

 Al


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I think commercial fishermen do a decent job at sorting out the gamefish and returning them to the river. Probably the biggest problem is that the gamefish will get beat up in the net until they get sorted out.

If they are working with larger carp they can grade them with slotted graders that allow the smaller fish like bass and walleye to escape and hold the larger carp.

Sometimes fish will self sort in pens too. That makes it easier to remove them and it's less stressful for them than sorting 1 fish at time.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

why not use electro shock. only takes a small current and those Asian carp just fly out of the water. increase it enough to stun them and then they could be gaffed out.

think though a cradle could be set up on the side of the boat and catch a good number of those jumpers.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I'm not sure what gear they use since they jump so much. I've heard that common carp are too smart to gill net but that might be the gear of choice for Asian carp. I have heard that commercial fishermen were complaining that the big Asian carp were tearing up their gear.


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Asian carp explosion 

This is good information but I still wonder how much powder do you need to explode an Asian carp?

Have a good day!


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## kirkmcquest (Oct 21, 2010)

Find a market for them and people will bring down the numbers. I like the fish emulsion idea because it adds a viable competitive alternative to the established fertilizer market.

If they ever come up this way, I'll have to break out the old cast net...free fertilizer, and chicken feed?


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