I don't know about Illinois, but there's been a LOT of good things come to fruition over the last few months in KY that have taken a very long time to get put in place. The new fish valet service and the ice house are two big items that were badly needed, as most commercial guys didn't want to pull carp from Kentucky and Barkley Lakes due to the amount of time required to get to the processor and the amount of ice needed to ensure the fish don't spoil on the way there on hot days. With the new fish valet, commercial guys can now simply offload at the ramp, significantly cutting down their expenses. The additional subsidies to get the market price up are a HUGE help as well as without it, it was far more work and expense for very little pay causing commercial guys to stick with other species with a higher price per pound.
It's my understanding that the new BAFF (Bio Acoustic Fish Fence) could lead to a viable management program. It's to be installed and undergo a 3 year test to see if it works, if results are favorable the BAFF will be installed at many other locations across the country. If the BAFF works, it will contain the carp below the dam by preventing them from entering the lock. By having that blockage in place, and then continuing the commercial fishing in the lakes, the asian carp population could be reduced down to a more manageable level.
Great article on the fish house, ice house, and the plan to get the asian carp harvest up over the next few years:
New Kentucky program to combat Asian carp begins
KDFWR has been tackling the problem very hard for many years with whatever limited resources they've had. When people say that KDFWR has sat on their hands, it couldn't be further from the truth. Now that the public is finally taking notice, the money if finally starting to flow towards fighting the carp. If only people would have listened 10 years ago and been as passionate about the problem as they are now, things would be a lot different at this point in time.
I don't know why people keep calling Asian Carp a delicacy, because it's not. It's primary use is in imitation crab meat, called surimi. The meat is ground up and turned into a paste. I don't know if you've ever bought any imitation crab meat, but it's cheap...hence the problem. You can go to Walmart and grab a snack stick pack for $1; I often pick up a few for my lunch, very good to eat but certainly NOT a delicacy. You can also order various upscale gourmet Asian Carp products from the west ky processor through their website, but in looking at the prices I honestly don't know anyone willing to pay those kinds of prices for carp...again, therein lies a problem. It's not a highly desired product, but a market does exist for it. The byproducts (skin, bones, guts, etc.) all go to fertilizer production.
Online shop to buy Asian Carp products from the Paducah processor:
Products – Fin Gourmet Foods
Surimi Snack Sticks available at Walmart: