1. OVERVIEW

2. PRICING
   1. Jimbo's in Escondido, CA, an organic food market, has a display of fish in its cooler display, laid on ice from $5.99 a pound to over $20.00 a pound. Part of the cost comes from having to toss fish which has turned sour.
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   3. Shaefers Fishery pays $0.13 per pound for whole carp caught by skiff operators. That company reportedly buys 30 million pounds a year of carp. High end restaurants pay up to $15.00 per pound for deboned, pan ready fresh Asian carp.
   4. The Asian market wants the entire, whole fish which is how the customer now buys the carp, guts and all. The problem is that enzymes begin to putrefy the fish in about two hours after death. In a very local market where pen-raised carp can be in the markets, on ice within an hour after death, this marketing might make some sense. Shipping a whole frozen fish from the US to Asian does not. CCC has found a way to gut the smaller Silverfin, sanitize it, bag it, then put it through the MWFPT. We can use the guts for enzymatic reduction of algal cells.
   5. Thus, pricing and shelf-life are tied very closely together. We solve the shelf life problem by reducing the bulk of the fish so that the microwave food processing tunnel can radiate every cell in the fish part inside a vacuum sealed pouch. This process kills 100% of the living matter, including the DNA, of every cell, 100% of the time. The fish can then be stored at ambient temperatures for probably a year. This approach eliminates nearly all post-purchase waste and allows the retailer or restaurant to better control their inventory. Because of waste reduction, the retailer is willing to pay a higher price.
3. THE RETAIL MARKET
   1. The majority of CCC's sales will be to retail grocery stores. Shipping and storage become a major cost element. We reduce these costs as follows:
      1. Microwave Food Processing Tunnel (MWFPT). Fish parts are no larger in thickness than about one to one and a half inches. The design of the Microwave Food Processing Tunnel (MWFPT) will address the issue of food safety as a first consideration. Sufficient design knowledge exists to populate the magnetron tubes, the wave guides, the shields, reflective devices, the size and layout of the fish parts in the trays/bags/pouches and the other elements so that we gain total food safety.
      2. Pouches. Each fish part or group of small parts should be enclosed in a vacuum sealed pouch with required labels to meet FDA requirements. The sealed pouch is then passed through the MWFPT and put in a cardboard case. This case is commonly used by Food 4 Less, ALDI, Price Club and others. It is a “display case” with a part of the top and front side with a perforated tear out so that the contents can be easily grabbed by the customer. The opened case is stacked on the unopened case below.
      3. Pallets. Price club and other “warehouse” stores use heavy steel pallet racks, such that the pallet sitting on the concrete floor is the current retail “display”, and the additional pallets of the same product is stored above on two or three shelves. When the floor pallet is empty, the forklift operator brings down a new pallet, cuts off the plastic wrapping and places the pallet on the concrete floor. and pulls the cut-out out of the cases on the top row. ALDI collects the empty cases and puts them on a customer level long shelf on the wall opposite the end of the check-out counter/cashier. Customers can use these boxes for boxing their purchases. This saves the market from having to have a cardboard baler and spend the staff time to collect the cardboard and bale it. The empty pallets are recycled via the used pallet market. Customers are free to use the “display cases” and/or bring their bags. Cloth bags are generally sold by the stores.
      4. Customer's storage. The customer can store the fish pouches on any kitchen shelf. They do not have to be refrigerated when left sealed in the pouch.
   2. In some grocery stores, there is a bottom shelf where the display cartons are transferred from the pallet onto the shelf. There is a second shelf about four feet high on which other products are held. The store needs to place on the upper shelf and above the fish cartons, all of the possible spices and condiments they have which relate to the preparation of the fish for meals. Here are some examples:
      1. ALDI. www.aldi.us Cajun Cook'n Jambualaya, 27.3 oz. $4.99; Cajun Cook'n Gumbo, 22 oz. $4.99; Healthy Choice, Chicken [Silverfin] Romano Fresca Steamer, 8 oz., $1.79' Kirkwood Spicy Buffalo Chicken [Silverfin] Chunks, 32 oz, $6.99; Kirkwood Honey BBQ Chicken [Silverfin] Chunks, 32 oz., $6.99; Grandessa Signature Top Crusted Flounder [Silverfin], 12.5 oz., $5.99.
      2. On the upper shelf, mixed in or next to the spices and condiments, some good, small paper-backed books of fish recipes should be displayed.
   3. Another possibility is to use the vacuum sealed pouch as a cooking enclosure in a microwave oven, provided the plastic is microwave safe. This allows the moisture in the fish part to remain with the fish part and only a small amount of steam to escape through a vent hole.
   4. The Asian market consider the fish head a delicacy. We can remove the head and put each head in a pouch with labels in both the native language and English.
4. THE WHOLESALE MARKET

5. REFINED PROCESSING
   1. Most of the white meat can be further processed, either as a deboned or bone-in product. As the video by Duane Chapman i demonstrates, an in-bone segment, cut on the diagonal, can produce a nice “stick” of “fish wings” of meat with one to three large, 3” bones inside the piece. These can be baked or fried and the bone easily removed at the kitchen or by the eater. See:
   2. These pieces can also be use for smoking, pickling, dehydration into jerky and similar uses. CCC can package several similar cuts in a pouch, vacuum seal it, pass it through the MWFPT and either sell it to an outside company for futher processing, or ship it to the Eco-campus where it can be further processed and repackaged.
   3. During the filleting operation, each side produces a part which is flat, wide and about an inch thick of meat and many bones. Duane Chapman in his video disguarded this section. Also, there are other cuts which are similar, but smaller. These cuts can be further processed to separate the meat from the bones.
   4. The pieces can be microwaved to fully cook them, thus severing some of the bond between the meat and the bones. Then the cooked fish is placed on a conveyor belt is made of woven stainless steel (“mail”) with a mesh of between one-eighth inch to one quarter inch. The product is passed through a vacuum tunnel, with large rollers at each end which slightly press on the meat at the lower end and run against multiple “squeegee” seals at the top end (to maintain the vacuum). The belt passes over a vacuum table which is in agitation mode. This mode passes the agitation to the SS belt which cause the wires to jiggle the flesh and bones, making the separate more likely. The flesh is sucked through the mail mesh into a hopper below, much like a shop vac. The bones, caught by the SS belt ride out of the vacuum chamber on the SS belt and are dumped into a grinder. The ground bones can be packaged, run through the MWFPT and shipped to chicken farms. This bone meal can be fed to chickens which use the minerals for the egg shells. The chicken's gizzard fully grinds the small bone particles. The “fish meal” is then fully cooked to make any very small bones eatable and the entire product made in to fish sticks, balls, and cakes. These products are vacuum packaged and passed through the MWFPT.

As the SS belt turns on the distal terminal roller and is returning to the proximal roller, a blast of hot steam removes any remaining flesh or bones from the SS belt, which fine particles and steam condensate are collected in a hopper below the belt, then sent to the animal feed fish meal operation. This operation both cleans and sanitizes the SS belt.

1. The white meat which is free of bones can be sold for use as sushi and sashimi. The low power MWFPT does not “cook” the meat, thus the reluctance of the chefs to its use should be easy to overcome. If the chef insists on taking the sushi or sashimi cuts from the fresh fish, then we would freezing the fish to arrest the effect of enzymes. CCC could deliver the fish already gutted and steam cleaned in vacuum bags and passed through the MWFPT.
2. At the fish gutting station, the base of the tail is placed on a pin and the fish hung tail up with the head down, which head is attached to a bungee cord. The fish is oriented with the ventral side down and at about a thirty degree angle over a SS table. A utility knife with a hooked cutter is inserted between the lower jaws forward of the gills and a slit made to ward the anus. The skin around the anus is cut leaving the anus intact so that the sphincter muscles keep the anus closed. The entrails are removed from the fish and fall onto the SS table. In female fish, the ovaries, if filled with eggs, are removed into a tub. In males, the gonads are removed. Other organs can be selected for sale to the pharmaceutical industry or for Asian homeopathic use. The gonads would be dehydrated, jerked, ground and put into capsules for Asian “Viagra”. The egg sacks can be expressed using a roller system and the eggs made into caviar. The other organs can be frozen or dehydrated, and shipped after bagging and passing through the MWFPT.
3. Temporary storage aboard the Carpe Carpae will soon be crowded when we achieve full production of 4000 pounds per hour, 12 hours a day, five days a week, year around. CCC will need to schedule port calls periodically to off-load the pallets of cartons. The Carpe Carpae cannot be disengaged from either sisters ship during fishing operations. It could disengage at the end of the second shift (there would be no third shift in such case) and make a port ahead of the other ships, off-load the cargo and return to the sister ships by the next morning. Our ground crews would meet the Carpe Carpae and take delivery.
1. THE TOUR
   1. The Tour and Fish Fry. Each Friday, the fleet will make port, tie-up and open the ships to public tours (by advanced reservation). This outreach effort is as much for its marketing value and profit as it is for its educational value. The fleet will arrive with colorful banners and flags displayed, the steam Calliope belting out Dixieland music and our brass band on dockside, welcoming visitors. Guests will be given a walking tour of all three ships, after which they assembly in the cafeteria or salon and watch a video which demonstrates the operation and the environmental values projected by CCC. After the show, the guests are treated to a Friday night fish fry. Prices would be set to cover costs and an equal amount of profit.
   2. VIPs. By prior arrangements, special guests are invited to spend a week or so visiting the CCC operation and staying in the VIP suite on the fourth deck of the Carp Ark. CCC will offer some On-the-job-training to the VIP guests so the get to meet and get to know many of the crew and workers. They can sit in on the meetings of the Partners Council, the Social Council, and join work parties (after suitable instruction).
   3. Commissary. CCC will operate a Commissary which will sell to the guests those items which will identify their tour with CCC, such as baseball caps, “T” shirts, mementos and, of course a variety of Silverfin, packaged for pan-ready use. The Commissary will also display and sell fish cook books, especially those which favor the use of Silverfin.
   4. Education. Since CCC will operate a charter school, kids may want to join in the fun with other kids and learn about Silverfin and watch a movie about how the Silver carp jump. There are several Youtube feature videos which are very entertaining such as the bow and arrow shooting of flying carp and the catching of flying Silver using scoop nets. These classes would be run on Saturday.
   5. Sunday shows. Sunday would see how our workers enjoy the day, by their visiting points of interest favored by the citizens of the port city and by inviting folks to enjoy a square dance or line dance in the cafeteria during the afternoon and evenings. CCC could host talent shows, put on skits and puppet shows. Since the large carp will be in the holding tank during the weekend, guests could view the fish swimming around and may want to take home with them (at $1.00 per pound).
2. SILVERFIN RESTAURANT AND FISH MARKET

The Silverfin Restaurant and Fish Market is a full service restaurant offering table service, take-out, catering and sales of freshwater and seawater fish, clams, oysters, and other shell fish. The two story restaurant will be built on the pontoon system described below for the CCC Assembly Building. The foyer entrance will welcome guests with a show of Asian carp and native fish swimming in large aquariums.

1. Site. The tentative site for the Silverfin Restaurant is proposed Lot 2, south of proposed Lot 1 which includes Little Rock Landing (assuming the ferry service becomes part of the Marina).
2. Access. Road and utility access will derive from a new road to be built on top of the levee as it meets the railroad embankment, then to a connection with Main Street. This access road will also provide a road connection and utility extensions to the ferry landing.
3. First floor. In addition to the foyer, there will be four dining rooms on the first floor, plus an outside, river-view deck for use in good weather. Each of the four dining rooms will have a distinctive décor and a menu to match the décor. Candidates are:
   1. French Provincial (sauces, cheese, wine, variety of breads, fresh herbs, lamb, chicken, 1 beef, fish – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cuisine; ),
   2. Cajun (Mississippi bayou, catfish, shrimp, crawdads, celery, onions, bellpeppers – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajun_cuisine ),
   3. Mex-Tex (Silverfin burritos and tacos, crevice, flying saucers, steaks, chilli & beans – products of goat, cattle, fish, chicken - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex-Mex ),
   4. Mid-West Barbeque (beef, pork, chicken, fish, seafood, game, sauces, green beans, potatos, salads – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cuisine),
   5. Asian (sprouts, water chestnuts, snow peas, sauces, tempura, sashimi, sushi – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_cuisine; Sushi: http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2002/10/afishstory?currentPage=1; From chicken and Bourbon to giant clams and flying fish eggs: http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2003/10/bluegrass;
   6. Slow Food (Emphasis on flavors and sustainable foods – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Food ),
   7. Mediterranean (bouillabaisse, calamari, virgin olive oil, seasoned bread, antipasto, products of goats and sheep, pita bread - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_cuisine ),
   8. Northern European (Irish stew, Swedish meatballs, sautéed reindeer with mashed potatoes, lingonberry and gherkin – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_cuisine#Northern_European_cuisines ).
   9. Truck Stop (1950's Diner, Route 66, “future-retro”, ala Sonic – order through to squawk-box at your table have your meal served by a roller-skater-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_Drive-In#1950s ) , and
   10. East Indian (spices, tambouri, clay oven cooking, rice and fresh vegetables - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_cooking ).
4. Second Floor. The “Top Deck” dining room will offer hauteur cuisine from the specialty menus of the four first deck dining rooms, plus distinctive “Chef's Specials” – the meal is announced only at the time of service. Vegetarian/vegan guests can state their desires ahead of time.
5. View. The view from the Top Deck and a couple of the first deck dining rooms will be of the river and the traffic on the river.
6. Dockage. A small dock will be built so that boats using the river may moor during their meals at the restaurant.
7. Parking. A joint use parking area will provide for use by guests of the restaurant and of the ferry landing. This space will allow workers working in the same Illinois location, to drive and park, then car-pool to their work location. Also, a bicyclist could park his car and bike across the river and tour Southern Illinois.
8. Catering and take-home. The Silverfin will offer catering, ship chandlering, and take-home meals.
9. Wines. The Silverfin will offer a wide selection of fine French and domestic wines. The Fish Market will also stock wine by the bottle for off-premises consumption.
10. Locavore. The menu and food selection will be especially designed to use locally produced foods and wines to the greatest extent reasonable. National and Missouri holidays will be festive with added menu selections and some entertainment. A small stage and dance floor will be added to the Top Shelf dining room for the occasions.
11. Cellar. Because of the nature of the construction of the para-foundation and the arrangements for the pontoons, the restaurant will be able to boast a true basement wine cellar, in addition to storage space and machinery and utility rooms. Elevator access will be provided to all three floors.
12. Kitchen. The Silverfin will have two kitchens, adjoining each other vertically. This arrangement will give the kitchen staff plenty of storage, preparation and cooking space. All biodegradable waste will be recycled into compost and any excess eatable food will be given to local food charities.
1. Market research and marketing plan.

The marketing research and plan is a matter of great concern for the success of Carp Catcher Cooperative. While some market research has been performed, an in-depth study will be conducted by two senior students enrolled at University of Montana, Missoula, MT, and supervised by Dr. Jakki Mohr, Professor, College of Business, University of Montana. ii Dr. Mohr, two students and Jim Miller have previously collaborated in connection with a marketing study of algae for food and fuel. Asian carp is widely used as common source of fish protein in Asia. CCC anticipates exporting about one-third of its net yield to Asia, especially China, Taiwan, and Japan. Because of the Asian carp invasion, the culinary industry has taken notice and begun to popularize the use of Asian carp as entrees in fine restaurants. Here are some notable quotes:

1. CBS

“The Asian carp is regularly called ugly and vile, and its threat to the Great Lakes has created a political battle pitting Illinois against neighboring states. But one local chef has a solution to the Asian carp crisis. Chef Phillip Foss of the Lockwood Restaurant at the Palmer House Hilton says instead of trying to poison or electrocute the fish in the water, why not make some fish filet sandwiches and fish sticks, ceviche, and eat them? 'People are loving it,' Foss said. 'We're getting very good raves on it. It's a very clean-tasting fish.' “ http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/asian.carp.cooked.2.1666367.html

2. LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES

"If we can find a way to get it into these outlets, it's an ultra-sustainable product," he said. "Not only are you eating a wild product, but you're also doing something that's saving the environment by eating it." "After sampling the fish for its taste appeal and meeting with Chef Philippe, both The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the chef decided to change the name from silver and bighead carp to the more appetizing Silverfin," said LDWF Inland Fisheries Administrator Gary Tilyou. "The biggest obstacle to market this fish was getting past the negative connotation that the word carp brings. Once people taste the fish for themselves they will soon realize that Silverfin belongs on the table. On top of tasting good, Silverfin are also rich in Omega 3." www.wlf.louisiana.gov/silverfin

3. The Challenge of Turning Asian Carp from Menace into Spectacular & Unique Haute Cuisine

"If it's good enough to ship 30 million pounds to China then it's good if the United States of America can come up with some creative ways to use it as well", says Heaven City's chef Jimmy Wade in a radio interview on WGN in Chicago" "As reported by JS Online, the Chinese were excited as "the high quality and taste of the wild Asian carp far exceeds" their expectations. They see a tremendous market for the wild US Asian carp, seen as a delicacy in China.” Source: http://www.heavencity.com/news.html

4. Louisana

"We will never be able to fully eradicate these fish, so we are trying to make the best out of what these fish have to offer," said Tilyou. "By creating a demand for the meat, we hope to create a commercial and recreational freshwater fishing industry for silver and bighead carp." For more details about the Silverfin promotion, visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/silverfin