By Jacque Day
Four Rivers Region – Southern Illinois University in Carbondale is getting more than a million dollars to try to derive benefits from Asian Carp infesting the region's rivers. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources funds will aid the school's researchers in pinpointing ways to establish a new fishery that could harvest and market the fish. The Asian Carp is an invasive species plaguing many rivers including the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland. All connect, directly or indirectly to the Lakes region of western Kentucky. Several varieties of the fish can grow to 100 pounds or more. A single female Asian carp can carry millions of eggs. They crowd out native species and damage their habitats.