Just checking in with this site hooked on fishing and anything to do with fishing, seems a alot of big lakes post on here, down here we fish more or less year round only thing that changes is whats in season, ive been looking that so called invasive species way up the Mississippi river those Asian carp considered here not in such a good light to that little lady that runs that Asian carp processing plant there in Kentucky those fish are China Gold, thats a big deal, I think soon it will be a Mississippi River China Gold Rush..may have to head north for a bit and see if i can help out in some way..

Hi DJKJAZZ,

Welcome to Fishingreminder.

Just off memory (cos I am feeling lazy and don't want to Google it)....

Carp, Asian or European, depending on where you come from, is the largest produced and eaten fish.

All fresh water fish that are farmed, harvested, eaten or just caught for sport COMBINED world wide, is less than half of the amount of carp that are farmed for food. China is by far the worlds biggest producer of carp.

Same goes for salt water fish...There is more carp eaten than all salt water fish combined.

All fish both fresh and salt water that are farmed, harvested, eaten or caught for sport, accounts for 60% and carp make up the other 40%.

World wide only a small handful of countries don't eat carp. Australia and the USA are two that stand out.

hey, welcome. Where are you in the South? I'm in upstate South Carolina, targeting catfish. Janis

Hey Itsaboat, Thanks for the break down on that topic, way more info than i had, I was referring to:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPeg1tbBt0A i caught these videos while browsing youtube i just found them interesting, the China market seems to love these growing wild in the Mississippi River over those that are home grown wild or farmed which are much smaller, here is another link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rF-STc3-Js

Hey Janis64, We are now here in Tampa, but was born in Sumter raised in Lawton, Ok, when i do finally get out to either the Skyway pier or Ft. Desoto Ill fish for King Mackerel, been a while since ive fished for them, but ive caught Spanish mackerel, sail cats, specks, snook but no redfish yet plenty lady fish and stingrays

Cool, I have a friend in Tampa. I'm so ignorant in the ways of fish species, I only target cats, lake trout or bass ALTHOUGH...I will freak out to catch ANY fish. I wouldn't know what to do with a stingray other than be scared to death. I sold my 20' pontoon and now kayak fishing, it takes a lot of getting used to! Sometimes I just paddle and troll, maybe a fish will catch itself. Good luck and be careful out there! Janis

Thanks. I have seen those videos before. Well worth watching.

I am not an expert on the subject. But it seems to me that too much politics comes into it. I have done some research into the carp problem and don't get me wrong, it is a problem...

Here in Australia, the latest plan is to release a virus that will kill the carp...and would you believe they have not even released the virus yet, but have already said they are working on the next virus !!! Reason? They already know the first virus will only be affective for a few years before the carp develop an immunity. All government funded of course !!

As you have noted and I have been saying for years...Eat them! Put the words "wild caught" on the can and the price goes up ten fold. Instead of spending 10's or even 100's of millions on virus control (not to mention the clean up cost when the dead fish wash down stream), they could offer to back and finance a cannery and fishery. Then export the "wild grown and caught" carp to the biggest carp eating country in the world at prices that would spin heads !!

I just found something I didn't know before - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_carp

"wild" carp is listed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature).

I change my above comment...If it is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, the price is more like 20 fold !!

I thought the China production was more like 20% but I was going off memory. This article notes China production is 14% of world production and notes that China's production alone is more than all other fresh water fish world wide....and that still leaves the other 86% from the rest of the world not counted !!!

Here is an interesting article - http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/01/12/3407056.htm

Maybe this person has the skills to run a cannery and sell our carp to the Chinese ??

I even have a brand name....Itsacarp - Life is just a carp, and then you eat one

EDIT: I just read that article again. The author is not very clear. I think he is saying that world wide carp production is 14% of all fish and China produces 70% of all carp. However, he also states that annual carp tonnage produced is more than all other fish combined. He is a little confusing. What ever the figures, the fact remains that carp is the most farmed, most produced and by far the most eaten fish in the world.