Potential of Asian Carp from the Illinois River as a Source of Raw Materials for Fish Meal Production

Abstract

Incentivizing overfishing through the creation of high‐value markets for Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Bighead Carp H. nobilis has been proposed as a management strategy for controlling Asian carp in the Illinois River. Asian carp may be rendered into a protein‐dense fish meal, and one of the most attractive, high‐value end uses for such a product is aquafeed manufacturing. 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 a protein source in aquafeeds, which was the focus of this study. To determine seasonal, geographical, and species variation in body composition, fatty acids, and oxidative stability, Asian carp were collected from five reaches of the Illinois River during the fall, spring, and summer (up to 12 individuals of each species per reach per season) and analyzed. Slight geographical, seasonal, and species variation exists in the body composition and fatty acid profiles of adult Asian carp from the Illinois River. There was an apparent trend of increasing lipid content from lower to upper reaches and from fall to summer. Bighead Carp tended to be leaner (higher protein, moisture, and ash content) than Silver Carp (higher lipid content). Although Asian carp generally appear to be a good source of long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids regardless of capture location or season, the concentration of these nutrients was highest in the fall. Oxidative stability analysis indicated Asian carp meal will need stabilizers to increase shelf life. Collectively, our results suggest Asian carp‐based fish meals would be nutritionally suitable for use in aquafeeds, if precautions are taken to stabilize the product during storage. Creating demand for carp meal in the aquafeed manufacturing sector may prove a valuable strategy for aiding in the control of Asian carp populations in the Illinois River.

Growth Performance of Hybrid Striped Bass, Rainbow Trout, and Cobia Utilizing Asian Carp Meal‐Based Aquafeeds

“…Considerable fishing pressure is needed to successfully control Asian carp in this system (Tsehaye et al 2013); thus, market research and development have been undertaken to increase the demand for Asian carp (Nelson 2013;Varble and Secchi 2013). However, since Asian carp are not a preferred food fish in the United States, industrial applications, such as rendering into protein meals for livestock feeding, are considered the most promising to incentivize harvest (Conover et al 2007;Bowzer et al 2013).…”

Analyzing Leap Characteristics and Water Escape Velocities of Silver Carp Using In Situ Video Analysis

“…Most of our fish were <80 cm TL; however, Silver Carp are frequently larger and more robust at the invasion fronts in the upper Mississippi River (James Lamer, Western Illinois University, personal communication), the Illinois River (Bowzer et al. ; Coulter et al. ), and the Ohio River (A. Stump, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, unpublished report), which is attributed to lower population densities.…”

Effects of season, geographical origin, and Asian carp species on the fillet quality of fish harvested from the Illinois River

“…Slightly higher, albeit not statistically different, lipid levels in Bighead carp fillets may have contributed to higher peroxide levels, as an indicator of primary lipid oxidation. While this potential correlation does not appear to hold true for seasonal effects, it has been long recognized that lipid oxidation is a major problem in the storage of fatty foods (Bowzer et al, 2013). The effect of higher temperatures in the summer relative to the fall harvest season is likely to be greater than the small differences observed in fillet lipid concentration.…”

“…As shown in Table 2, no significant difference was observed in fresh fish fillet whiteness (Χ (Table 3). 5 www. siftdesk.…”