Has Illinois’ copi rebrand helped curb invasive carp?
Person holds copi fish (formerly called Asian carp) along Illinois River in 2021 Tinisha Spain / IPM News
For decades, invasive carp have been a problem in waterways like the Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers. The federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative put more than half a million dollars toward not just rebranding the fish, but making it available and appealing across the country.
Now, the fish formerly known as Asian carp are known as copi — which is derived from how copious they are in state waters.
Today on the 21st, we'll start the show by discussing why the rebrand was necessary and how successful it has been.
GUESTS:
Aaron Xuandi Wang
Author, "Illinois Tried to Bait Restaurants With Carp But Customers Won’t Bite," Chicago Eater
Joe Parkos
Field Station Director, Kaskaskia, Ridge Lake, and Sam Parr Biological Stations; Illinois Natural History Survey; Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign