CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- To raise awareness of the potential threat from Asian carp to Lake Michigan, a Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner is trying to convince more people to eat the fish.
Josina Morita says Asian carp are tasty and healthy. The problem for many people, she concedes, is the appearance of the fish before they are processed as food.
"We need to help do our part by eating them, which helps alleviate some of the pressure," she said Friday.
"They're so dense. There are parts of the Illinois River where the Asian carp make up 90% of the biomass."
Asian carp have traveled northward up the Illinois River and run the risk of overtaking Lake Michigan and native species there.
Morita, also a member of the Great Lakes Commission, is hoping more people will try and enjoy Asian carp dishes.
Proponents of the carp-as-food idea are giving away Asian carp burgers and tacos for the next couple of weekends, around Chicago.
For more information, go to asiancarpchallenge.org.
