An invasive problem.
An American solution.

Our Story

Turning a "trash fish"
into treasure

In 2012, Chinese-American entrepreneur Angie Yu saw what others couldn't: opportunity swimming in the Mississippi. Asian carp — introduced in the 1970s and now crowding out native species across the river basin — were considered a plague. Yu, a seafood trade veteran with a career built on turning waste into value, founded Two Rivers Fisheries in Wickliffe, Kentucky, just below the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

Where American markets saw a nuisance, world markets saw what carp has meant for centuries across many cultures: prosperity, perseverance, and good luck — and a clean, lean, wild-caught white fish. Two Rivers shipped its first containers in 2013.

Then Yu built what didn't exist anywhere in America: a complete industrial chain around a single species. The meat became fillets, dumplings, fish balls, sausages, and jerky. The skin became leather. The bones became carved jewelry. The swim bladder became prized fish maw, and the trimmings became fish meal, oil, and fertilizer. Product by product, an invasive pest became an industry — one that today makes Two Rivers the largest Asian carp exporter in the United States and Kentucky's #1 fish exporter by volume.

"We strongly believe in the worthy cause of reducing this invasive species. It's a win-win for all of us — the rivers, the fishermen, and the communities they support." — Angie Yu, Founder & President