Kentucky is awarding a fish center in Wickliffe a contract to establish the state’s first-ever “fish house” to fight the state’s Asian carp problem.
Governor Matt Bevin Tuesday announced the award to Kentucky Fish Center. He said the fish house will give commercial anglers new opportunities and remove the invasive species from the state’s waterways. Two Rivers Fishery harvests and processes Asian carp. Operator Angie Yu will also own and operate the Kentucky Fish Center. Yu said there is a big international market for the invasive fish.
“So far we have markets set up already," Yu said. "We can sell four million pounds but we are short of fish. This program will help us and the fishermen to get more fish.”
The fish house will buy Asian carp caught in Kentucky waters for 19 cents per pound and sell the fish in daily auctions. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife fisheries director Ron Brooks said anglers currently harvest two million pounds of Asian carp from state waters each year. He said he believes the program can increase that catch to 20 million pounds across the state within the next five years.