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LOGAN SQUARE — Asian carp isn’t typically used by home cooks or restaurant chefs, but this weekend Logan Square neighbors can get a taste of the fish at an event to raise awareness about the invasive species.
Local leaders are throwing an Asian carp BBQ 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Unity Park, 2636 N. Kimball Ave.
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th); Josina Morita, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner; and members of the Unity Park Advisory Council will all be in attendance.
El Ranchito, 2829 N. Milwaukee Ave., will serve free Asian carp tacos while supplies last. Single-used food packaging will be used. Masks are required and social distancing will be enforced.
The goal of the event is to raise awareness about invasive Asian carp and what neighbors can do to help the fish from taking over Chicago waterways, according to the event page.
Leaders have long been on a mission to keep invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. The fish are known for gobbling up so much plankton that there’s little left for other fish to eat. So far, the invasive species hasn’t made its way to Lake Michigan yet, but they’ve gotten dangerously close.
Asian carp are native to China and surrounding areas and were originally brought in to help clean fish farms in the South. The fish eventually escaped, first into the Mississippi River and then into other waterways.
Anyone with questions about Saturday’s event can email Ramirez-Rosa’s office at ward35@cityofchicago.org.
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