Fish Meal as a Potential End Use of Invasive Asian Carp from the Illinois River

Incentivizing overfishing through the creation of high-value markets for rendered carp products such as fish meal (FM) is a promising strategy to reduce the density of silver and bighead carp in the Illinois River.  However, the nutritional content and shelf stability of Asian carp as a raw material must be determined to assess its suitability for rendering and subsequent use as an alternative to marine-origin FM.   

To determine seasonal and geographical variation in body composition, fatty acids, and oxidative stability, Asian carp were collected from six reaches of the Illinois River during the fall, spring, and summer (12 silver and 12 bighead carp targeted for each reach and season). Results indicate slight geographical and seasonal variation exists in body composition.  There is an apparent trend of increasing lipid content from lower to upper reaches. Although Asian carp generally appear to be a good source of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), the concentration of these nutrients are higher in carcasses collected in the Fall. Asian carp FM will need stabilizers to increase shelf life. Initial analysis suggests Asian carp FM is a suitable high-value feedstuff with adequate levels of LC-PUFA, if precautions are taken to stabilize the product during storage.