Fish are soon flying to area dinner plates

A few months from now, your dinner menu might look a little different thanks to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

The department is teaming up with experts from the local food industry to put a new type of fish on tables across the state.

The invasive species – silver and bighead carp, also known as Silverfin – were first introduced to the U.S. in the 1970s to help manage aquaculture ponds and wastewater ponds. However, they managed to escape and descended into Louisiana waters in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Their sprawl was quick and timeless, but caused major problems for some of America’s greatest waterways. Today, the problems are continuing, as state officials are rushing to come up with a solution.

Silver and bighead carp can now be found in the Mississippi, Red and Ouachita rivers and throughout the Atchafalaya Basin.

Silver carp can grow to about 50 pounds and in record cases upward of 80 pounds. As a first line of defense, the fish leaps several feet out of the water, which is posing a major threat to anglers who are usually traveling at fair speeds when they’re on the water.

A common occurrence is injury to boaters or damage to boats and equipment. In the most extreme cases, the fish can even cause death, according to the LDWF. But the harm they’re causing to anglers is accompanied by the threat Silverfin pose to the natural resources local fish need to survive, which could also have brutal ramifications on the area’s economy that sees a big chunk of its dollars from recreational fishing activities.

“Both silver and bighead carp pose a threat to the Louisiana freshwater fishery by out-competing local fish for food. Both of these carp species primarily feed on plankton, which is also the main diet for shad, bigmouth buffalo and paddlefish,” said the LDWF in a news release.

Bass and other popular freshwater fish also feed on plankton in their larval stages.

Inland Fisheries Administrator Gary Tilyou said, “In the northern states, where the numbers [of Silverfin] are greater, they’ve actually replaced some species of native fish.”

If that happens in Louisiana, it could cost the state millions. However, Tilyou doesn’t think that’s likely to occur, at least not anytime soon.

“It’s never going to reach that stage simply because not all of our waters are waters the fish dwell in,” he noted.

To solve the problems that do exist, the LDWF is working with local chefs and supermarkets to promote the fish as a tasty meal. “We’re not going to eradicate them, we’re just looking to get their numbers down,” said Tilyou.

While the campaign will hinge on the commercial benefits the fish offers to the seafood industry, it will also promote recreational activities like bow fishing, which uses a bow and arrow that’s been tied to a fishing line to snag the fish.

“In order for this campaign to work, the fish must be used in fish products like crab cakes. It has to be something that’s sold in the hundreds of thousands of pounds,” explained the administrator.

Early communications between the department and the food industry are pointing toward success. “It’s just a matter of will it work or not? The fish is very good; it tastes very good…” said Tilyou.

A 100-gram Silverfin fillet contains about .66 grams of fat and nearly 22 grams of protein, according to Fatemeh Malekian, an associate professor of food science and nutrition at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

But pricing is another obstacle the industry must hammer out before a full marketing scheme takes flight.

A line of Silverfin fish cakes, gumbo and imitation crabmeat stuffing have already been designed for distribution at Rouses Supermarkets, said the release.

“This would be a very positive impact on commercial fishermen and seafood houses,” said Tilyou. “Commercial fishermen, right now, are dumping these fish on the bank.”

For anglers brave enough to bare the battering beasts: grab your dip nets, bow and arrow or just use your boat. And beware, because if you’re not quick, dinner could fly by.