Asian Carp

People all across Illinois will be able to try Asian carp dishes for free on Saturday, with two Peoria-area sites among the participating locations.

The East Peoria City Council gave an initial nod towards allowing businessman Roy Sorce's special use permit to process Asian carp caught in the Illinois River into bait.

A new Asian carp operation in East Peoria would allow the "limited" processing and freezing of the invasive fish in an effort to reduce the species' numbers.

Flooding on the Illinois River has claimed a toll on another annual event. 

Proposals to solve the Asian carp problem in the Illinois River include everything from electric barriers to sound waves. However, the solution may ultimately come from basic economic demand generated by creating a robust market for carp-based products.

Some members of Congress want a one-year deadline for completing a federal study on keeping Asian carp out of the Great Lakes by strengthening defenses on a crucial Illinois waterway.

In a letter Thursday to heads of House spending committees, 26 lawmakers from Great Lakes states say the next federal budget should order the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to finish its Brandon Road Lock and Dam study by February 2019.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois officials have released detailed plans for how they'll reintroduce a giant fish that was thought to be extinct from the state's waters. 

Federal officials are delaying a proposal for a new line of defense in the Chicago area to prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was scheduled to release a draft plan today for installing new technologies or taking other steps to block the invasive fish's path at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois.  No new release date has been set.

(AP) - Federal officials say they'll continue efforts to prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, despite uncertainty about what Donald Trump might propose.

Twelve jobs will soon be added to Peoria’s employment roles after the city council Tues. rezoned property to allow meat processing and packaging.

Kencor Company will now move its operation from Kenosha, Wisconsin to Peoria and begin operations this fall on Precast Way.

The company will process catfish, using the fish body for human consumption, primarily by ethnic groups. The remainder of the fish will be used for animal food. Company president Kevin Evans says the oven at the new facility will meet air quality standards.

CHICAGO (AP) - A giant fish that once swam from the Gulf of Mexico to Illinois is making a comeback.

Biologists are restocking alligator gar in several states where it disappeared about a half-century ago, partly in the hope that it will be a powerful weapon against Asian carp. That invasive species has been swimming almost unchecked toward the Great Lakes for decades. 

It turns out that alligator gar have a taste for carp - and also dwarf the invaders. Asian carp can grow to 4 feet and 100 pounds; alligator gar can grow more than 9 feet and 300 pounds.

A federal study says small fish can be trapped in water currents created by commercial barges and pulled through electric barriers designed to prevent invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says tests show that fish swimming near barges can remain caught between them for substantial distances. 

Federal agencies plan to spend $57.3 million this year on preventing invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, where scientists say they could disrupt food chains and out-compete native fish.

Some area businesses and organizations are working to bring more awareness to the Asian carp population in the Illinois River through the launch of a new festival.

There’s been some tension among the Great Lakes states over what to do about Asian carp spreading from the Mississippi River system to Lake Michigan. The two bodies of water join at the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal that links to the Des Plaines and into the Illinois River.

At their weekend meeting on Mackinac Island, The Great Lakes Council of Governors agreed to adopt a common strategy to fight the spread of invasive species. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn endorsed the concept of sealing off the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River basin.