Springfield - You've probably seen them on Youtube flying out of the water. While Asian Carp may be a nuisance, they could soon be feeding the hungry in Illinois.
"Carp is a great meat and has a good taste," according to Carter's fish market owner Clint Carter.
The Department of Natural Resources is hoping others will have the same reaction as they look to tackle hunger while cleaning up Illinois' rivers.
Asian Carp continue to cause problems for river ecosystems as they spread through Illinois' waterways.
Kevin Irons, the Aquatic Nuisance Program Manager for the DNR, says,"it really wasn't till about 2000 that we saw them reproducing and then we started seeing this videos and the jumping phenomenon of the silver carp."
Now the state is looking for ways to take those fish from rivers and help fight hunger at the same time.
DNR spokesperson Chris McCloud says,"hunger is rampant in the United States, and Illinois is certainly no exception to that. It really is all about taking a problem and using it for a solution."
So the Department of Natural Resources is working with Feeding Illinois to try and find ways to put these silver river rockets on your plate.
Which hasn't been easy considering most people tremble at the thought of eating any species of carp.
"It's bony, that's just the physical make-up of Asian Carp," says McCloud.
And according to Carter, it's a matter of changing people's perception of Asian Carp.
"They think they're poisonous. They think they'll jump out and kill you," he says.
