Sharphook, you almost got it. Catfish farmers wanted a way to clean their ponds. MS farmers were using grass carp with good results. LA, AR and MO wanted something faster so the feds brought in Asian carp. Reports say midwest farmers, nothing eastern. The MS river flooded, flooding the MO river and a few more south. This flooded the ponds and the carp ended up in our water ways. The farmers should have better levys around their ponds. Kinda like buying a piece of glass and not having insurance encase it breaks during shipment.
This was caused by LA, AR and MO farmers. Look at those states to find what's being done to help. Processing plants? Collection centers? Research? The best I could find was, if you catch one, learn how to clean it and eat it.
TN came up with a great answer, don't be caught in the boat with one alive.