Asian Carp Invade Grand Rapids

Tired of Turkey? How about Asian carp?

The West Michigan Environmental Action Council and San Chez Bistro will be serving up the invasive fish at a Fight 'Em & Fillet 'Em dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 30, in Grand Rapids.

The idea is to highlight efforts to keep the invasive out of West Michigan waterways. Silver and bighead carp, which threaten to outcompete native fish, have been knocking at the door of Lake Michigan in recent months, via the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. 

The event is from 6-9 p.m. at the Bistro, 38 Fulton Street West in downtown Grand Rapids. 

Featured speakers include John Goss, the U.S. "Asian Carp Czar" and Dan O’Keefe, Michigan Sea Grant Southwest District Extension Educator.

Apparently, Asian carp taste something like a cross between crab meat and scallops. State leaders in the Mississippi River Basin are trying to rebrand the fish as "Silverfin" or "Kentucky Tuna."

But the event isn't meant to encourage a new crop of Asian carp in the Great Lakes. Any branding effort would be aimed at thinning populations and providing jobs for local fishermen. 

Asian carp are a delicacy in China. Let's keep it that way. The dinner is meant to draw attention to the need to permanently separate the lakes from the Chicago waterway system, as proposed by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and others. 

A $40 donation is requested, payable at the door or via the WMEAC site. You can RSVP by e-mailing rsvp@wmeac.org or calling 616-451-3051, extension 33.