The interview with chef Gebauer led me to wonder if there were other individuals, communities, organizations, establishments, etc. that have been encouraging the consumption of the carp and what the possible benefits of doing so may be. I have learned that there are numerous reasons we should consider utilizing the fish as a more regular resource for food, etc. The multitude of benefits that can possibly be derived through using Asian Carp to our advantage are the driving force for network governance.
For example, in Missouri, there is an initiative to eat more carp. Mark Morgan, a researcher at the University of Missouri is encouraging more people to try the invasive species. Some of the hangups individuals have with the idea of consuming the Asian Carp involve their less than attractive appearance. Also, they are a very bony fish and are often confused with the bottom-feeding common carp. However, it is said that Asian Carp taste more like cod.
"The Missouri Department of Conservation has always tried to promote responsible harvest which means when you hunt when you fish you utilize what you take out of the wild ,” Francis Skalicky from the Missouri Department of Conservation says. "From a biological standpoint the more carp are harvested, the more they're taken out of our ecosystem, the better it is for our natural fish."
The Department of Conservation will be demonstrating how to filet the carp this weekend at the Bowfishing Tournament at Bass Pro in Springfield. Also during this event on Saturday, Morgan will be selling carp food dishes from a stand in the parking lot. It does not cost money to attend, and he encourages people to come give it a try."
The way in which the Missouri Department of Conservation and Morgan are coming together is a perfect example of a network form of governance.
There is desire to use the Asian Carp as a food source to combat hunger issues in America.
The Eat Mo Carp project works to turn invasive carp into a healthy food option for hungry individuals. The Eat Mo Carp team, based at the University of Missouri, is working to expand culinary use of Asian carp, while studying the associated behaviors of consumers and business-owners through the lens of social science theories.
“This fish is so good, I’d take it over tilapia,” said chef Philippe Parola of Baton Rouge, La., who has conducted Asian carp cooking demonstrations in Illinois in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ “Target Hunger Now!” program. The initiative encourages hunters and anglers to donate deer and Asian carp to food banks in Illinois.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman also expresses how hunger is a reality in this country and that it’s time to educate and introduce Asian Carp into humanitarian food aid program.
There are many actors involved in the initiative to utilize Asian Carp as a viable food resource. For example, the Illinois DNR, chefs, researchers, the Missouri Department of Conservation, universities, etc. all play a role. Network governance is possible and has been effective in some cases mentioned. Other collaborative goals are still being shaped. What it comes down to, in terms of this initiative, is that people from various backgrounds understand the importance of protecting our ecosystem from this damaging species. In addressing the effect the carp have had on the environment, clever and resourceful ideas continue to emerge due to dialogue and collaboration among different groups/individuals.
Sources:
http://www.jsonline.com/features/food/asian-carp-just-another-unusual-dish-to-try-for-potawatomi-chef-peter-gebauer-b99436383z1-292672681.html
http://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/mo-initiative-eat-more-asian-carp
http://cafnrnews.com/2014/12/eat-mor-carp/
http://digitalrepository.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=upjournal_research
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/carpe-eat-um-invasive-asian-carp-leap-into-restaurants-grocery-stores/
http://www.sj-r.com/article/20120808/News/308089913/?Start=1
I think this is such an awesome and unique way in dealing with an invasive species! Its also a good initiative by introducing the carp into humanitarian aid programs. This idea of "eating the enemy" would not have been one of the first solutions that come to my mind. Reading more, there isn't a real big market for the Asian carp given their bad image. So people change the name so it sounds more appealing like "silverfin" or "Kentucky tuna". A plus to eating the Asian carp is that it is a clean fish, rich in protein, and low mercury levels. Eattheinvaders.org is a website dedicated to promoting all kinds of invasive species from crayfish to a variety of plants like garlic mustard to being eaten. On the flip side, it could be dangerous in creating a market demand for this fish and other species instead of trying to completely eliminate it. There are possibly more reasons why "eating the enemy" isn't the best idea, read these articles to find out more. http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/114043564.html http://ensia.com/voices/why-eating-invasive-species-is-a-bad-idea/
ReplyDeleteSamantha, I am glad you addressed the market aspects of Asian carp (and possible negatives attached to it), as I chose to focus more on the networking form of governance. Thanks for the further insight and additional links!
DeleteI love this idea! Overfishing in our oceans is a huge problem, leading to ecosystem collapse and endangerment of fish species. This could provide local fresh food for a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteI know that as of now the only main buyer of Asian carp is China, but I think the US could also use these fish as a free range option with low toxicity levels.
The only other use of Asian carp that I'm really aware of is as fertilizer. It would be really interesting to see a market for the meat and all the waste could go to the fertilizer manufacturers.
Also looking at it from a multilevel governance perspective, this could provide a lot of rural people with steady jobs. These people could get paid for providing healthy food for needy people, and in doing so significantly help their local ecosystems. Of course there are downsides to any plan, but with no real solution for this invasive species in sight, creating a market and significantly lowering the numbers of these fish could be a real help.
Hey, I wrote something similar in the terrestrial invasive species blog. On the terrestrial side some chefs have been starting to put invasive greens on menus. I have found it very interesting that eating the species can be a way to solve the invasive species problem. We don't think to eat a fish like carp in the United States but, I remember reading an article about shipping our carp to countries that do to make a market for carp here. One criticism I came across in my research was that apparently there are concerns of dangers of starting markets for these invasive species as the money could be too good and the incentive of getting rid of these invasive species could be replaced by an interest in money.
ReplyDeleteI do think this could be a good way to get rid of these species if they are able to become trendy like the invasive tilapia has recently become in restaurants. I'm not entirely sure but this seems like a relatively new way to defeat them so we will see how effective this method becomes.
I think this article was insightful in as far as how the Asian carp problem utilizes a network form of governance. The problem i did have reading this blog was the over emphasis on food shortages in the U.S."There is desire to use the Asian Carp as a food source to combat hunger issues in America". The U.S. is the top country in which we throw away perfectly good food. Agriculturists have strict standards on what produce should look like and the rest id thrown away. The consumer wastes tons of food a year due to over shopping and lacking on eating leftovers. I'm not saying all americans do this but a huge majority does. As far as asian carp go, i wouldn't go near the stuff, but i do think it is important to desimate their population by overfishing and try to return some balance to our lake and river's ecosystems. It also seemed like hey there are food shortages, lets just donate them and feed the poor with this crap. I do believe that they shouldn't be wasted but maybe there is an alternative, such as using them in aquaponics or use them as fertilizer/nutrients for agriculture.
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