Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant's Asian Carp Marketing Summit - A conversation with managers, retailers and harvesters in the Mississippi River Basin

llinois-Indiana Sea Grant organized the Asian Carp Marketing Summit (ACMS) to explore the idea of using commercial markets to control wild populations of Asian carp. Various stakeholders from eight states in the lower Mississippi River Basin were invited to the ACMS for a comprehensive discussion on the opportunities and barriers for Asian carp commercial markets. During the ACMS process, stakeholders agreed on three primary markets that would be the most promising for Asian carp: 1) high-volume/low-price export, 2) high-quality/higher-priced domestic, and 3) by-product. ACMS participants also set priorities for future product development. These include, 1) demand for the product and therefore potential ability to impact wild Asian carp populations, 2) profit potential, including ability to cover costs throughout the supply chain, and 3) ease of exit once wild Asian carp population decline. Identification of these markets and priorities resulted in Illinois Department of Natural Resources-funded training opportunities for fishers on catching and proper handling of Asian carp; this training will help support a developing Chinese market for the fish. Illinois is also funding research to determine if harvesting is an effective way to reduce the environmental impacts of these fish in the Illinois River