By By W. Mark Dendy Feb 3, 2014 in Environment Asian carp were imported to the United States in the 1970's to control algae in aquaculture ponds. But much like the mongoose that was imported to the Hawaii islands to control rats, the carp proliferated and are now an invasive, nuisance species. The Army Corp of Engineers constructed and operates an Now, a new strategy for ridding the waterways of the ecologically destructive nuisances is underway. A marketing ploy introduced by pork producers in 1987 that was widely successful, “ The WSJ reports that 58-year-old Chinese-American, Angie Yu, “has shipped a half-million pounds of frozen Asian carp to China “ calling the bony fish "Kentucky white fish." Businesswoman Yu touts the fish as “wild caught” which gives her an edge in China, where most carp are farmed. Yu is not the only one grappling for a share of the Asian carp export market, but she has 15 years experience selling seafood to the Asian markets, which might give her an edge. If the demand is high enough, inroads may soon be made at emptying the Mississippi River Basin and Great Lakes of the fish brought here for a purpose, but turned out disastrous. When carp made their way from the ponds into the Mississippi River Basin, they quickly moved North into the Great Lakes, wreaking havoc on the fisheries and aquatic systems.The Army Corp of Engineers constructed and operates an electric barrier to contain the unwanted bony fish, but the barrier's success has been limited. More carp are being found beyond the barrier.Now, a new strategy for ridding the waterways of the ecologically destructive nuisances is underway.A marketing ploy introduced by pork producers in 1987 that was widely successful, “ Pork, the other white meat ” has been fitted to the Asian Carp and used to sell capture a market in Asia, where, according to the Wall Street Journal, people “fancy the fish.”The WSJ reports that 58-year-old Chinese-American, Angie Yu, “has shipped a half-million pounds of frozen Asian carp to China “ calling the bony fish "Kentucky white fish."Businesswoman Yu touts the fish as “wild caught” which gives her an edge in China, where most carp are farmed.Yu is not the only one grappling for a share of the Asian carp export market, but she has 15 years experience selling seafood to the Asian markets, which might give her an edge.If the demand is high enough, inroads may soon be made at emptying the Mississippi River Basin and Great Lakes of the fish brought here for a purpose, but turned out disastrous. More about Carp, Invasive species, Mississippi river, Great lakes, Nuisance More news from Carp Invasive species Mississippi river Great lakes Nuisance Asian carp Fisheries