Murray State University to form partnership to advance invasive carp removal

MURRAY, Ky. (KFVS) - The Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business at Murray State University is partnering up with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The partnership would be to advance invasive carp removal efforts in Kentucky waterways.

The partnership is aimed at fostering development of entrepreneurship for the commercial and retail use of invasive carp that will result in the expansion of the processing industry in Western Kentucky.

Commercial fishers have harvested more than nine million pounds of invasive carp from Kentucky waters over the past year. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is mandated to regulate commercial fishing and it has worked to establish programs and advance regulatory changes through the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission. Murray State continues to support the region’s economic growth and development by way of partnerships with public and private entities.

Murray State and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife hope to leverage their resources and networks to:

Work with commercial fishers to innovate ways to industrialize the harvest of invasive carp to further reduce and control these populations
Streamline administrative processes and expedite approvals for innovative and effective harvest
Support the origination of individual entrepreneurs utilizing invasive carp in their business model
Work with local, state and federal partners to develop infrastructure to facilitate invasive carp processing in the region
Support commercialization and take-to-market efforts
Develop a regional plan and approach through multi-state organizations to address the problem of the invasive species