US State to Sign Fish Processing Agreement

Big River Fisheries in Pearl, Illinois, US, will harvest and pack Asian carp for a Chinese meat processing company to sell internationally.

The company will harvest 30 million pounds of carp from Illinois rivers by the end of 2011, the company said.

Big River will process, package and ship the fish to Beijing Zhuochen Animal Husbandry Company.

The state is investing $2m to help Big River retrofit its plant.

The Asian carp, known to be an invasive species, has become a threat to the Great Lakes.

In June, a bighead Asian carp was found in Lake Calumet along the Chicago Area Waterway System, the first found above the Electric Barrier System.