
American Fish Farmers Could Clean
Up with Chinese Carp By Sandy Hays February 3, 1997American fish farmers could
clean up with Chinese carp, in more ways than one. Chinese carp is a big seller in Europe and Asia, and a hit in the United
States ethnic markets. But the carps extremely bony body has kept
it off most menus here. Scientists with USDAs
Agricultural Research Service say canned
carp is the answer. Their tests show canning softens the bones, just like
salmon, giving fish farmers a brand-new product with an extended shelf life. In
taste tests in Arkansas and England, participants praised canned carps
flavor and said theyd pay at least as much for that product as for tuna. Chinese carp makes a tidy pond-mate, too, because its favorite food is
plankton that flourishes in water where catfish dwell. In fact, the carp
wont even compete for food put into the ponds for other fish, the
scientists say. But its growth rate is about four times that of catfish, and a
Chinese carp can tip the scales at 6 pounds in a year. Health-conscious consumers should be pleased with carp: Its less than
2 percent fat and about 40 percent of those fats are the desirable omega-3
acids linked in some studies to reduced heart disease. Its also loaded
with calcium and protein. Scientific contact: Donald W. Freeman,
USDA-ARS Aquaculture Systems
Research Unit, Pine Bluff, AR, telephone (501) 543-8128; fax (501)
543-8116; email [email protected] U.S. Department of Agriculture | |