By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—Speaking to a packed house, officials with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources talked Thursday night of the hazards posed by the Asian Carp invasion on the Kentucky and Cumberland Lakes and the need to create commercial markets for the fish.
The meeting was held at the Henry County Fairgrounds and everyone who attended was offered samples of grilled Asian carp to taste. Doing the grilling was Paris City Mayor Carlton Gerrell and County Commissioner Drew Williams.
Frank Fiss, Chief of Fisheries for TWRA, told the crowd, “There is a market for this fish. It is a food grade fish and there is a demand in this country for this type of protein grade fish. We just need to get the fishermen and markets in sync.”
Fiss noted that a $75,000 TWRA grant was given to Paris and Henry County last year which is providing incentives to local commercial fishermen to subsidize the burgeoning Asian Carp industry.
For the first time, the TWRA now has the funding, strategies and tools to work on the issue, Fiss said. But what is really needed is a national strategy. “There are no easy solutions. We need more federal help, more research and more funding.” Twenty-eight state are right now working together on the Asian Carp problem “because this is a national problem.”
The growing migration of Asian Carp provides hazards for the ecosystem, adverse economic impact and hazards to boaters and fishermen from the fish jumping out of the water and into boats—and into fishermen and people who are boating recreationally.
Fiss said the earliest signs of Asian Carp began in 2002 in the Mississippi River. By 2008, the governor had signed a plan to combat the problem. In 2011, Asian Carp had become substantially more abundant in the Kentucky and Cumberland Rivers.
In 2013, TWRA had developed its first report on the Asian Carp population and began lobbying for federal help. In 2016, the Tennessee General Assembly provided funding to tackle the problem and in 2017, TWRA issued a $75,000 grant for Paris and Henry Co. to subsidize commercial fishermen.
Fiss called for the state to continue monitoring the movement of the Asian Carp to build a case at the federal level. “We’re not just watching things happen, we need to act,” he said.
State Rep. Tim Wirgau told the crowd, “This issue is not just for fishermen. It’s going to drive tourism away from our area (if something is not done) and we can’t afford that.” The problem, he said, “will affect every person in this room. We need to create a market for these fish.”
Also in attendance were State Sen. Ed Jackson, R-Jackson; and a representative of Congressman David Kustoff, R-Memphis.
Other speakers included Tim Broadbent, TWRA Region 1 Fisheries Manager, and Ron Brooks Dir Fisheries Kentucky Depart Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Broadbent said, “We’re just as concerned as all of you are and believe me, if there was an effective control method right now, we’d be using it. We want to get an effective project going here. Once the Asian Carp are established in a body of water, it’s difficult to exterminate.” Broadbent said research and working with other states on the problem are important to accomplish the needed goals.
Broadbent showed a slide presentation of types of methods that are used to trap and eradicate Asian Carp.
Photos: Frank Fiss of TWRA speaks to the crowd; County Commissioner Drew Williams, Industrial Committee CEO David Hamilton, and Paris Mayor Carlton Gerrell grill and serve Asian Carp samples. (Photos by Shannon McFarlin).
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