Pet owners in the Chicago area have become a surprising solution in the fight against an invasive species. According to a report by WLS, a pet food company has added a new ingredient to its dog treats: silver carp, an invasive fish threatening the Great Lakes.
Chicago-based Archway Pet makes sustainable dog treats. However, recently, the founders of the company, Gabriel Huertas del Pino and Adam Mutschler, decided to add silver carp to their recipe, helping to remove the species from the Great Lakes.
Asian carp have threatened the local ecosystem by competing with native species for essential resources and introducing new diseases.
"They grow faster, they produce faster, and they just take up way more space. So they're essentially crowding out native species," Mutschler told ABC7.
Mutschler and Huertas del Pino have been fishing the carp out of the Mississippi River, where they say there are "millions of pounds available in Illinois alone."
For our furry friends, the carp-based treats are a major win. They are not only healthy but also hypoallergenic.
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"It's honestly something like a dream protein for dogs and cats," Huertas del Pino told ABC7. "It's very difficult to filet, but it goes really easily into pet products because you can mince the bones and break them up that way."
By fishing for silver carp, Archway Pet is protecting the local ecosystem and removing an invasive species that threatens the survival of native fish.
Across the globe, conservationists have been finding creative and sustainable solutions for removing invasive species. In Hawai'i, for example, detection dogs have been sniffing out invasive beetles, helping scientists protect local palm trees.
The Archway Pet founders elaborated on both the environmental and health benefits of the carp-based dog treats.
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"You have to have a steady balance form of nutrition that has vitamins and minerals, and we're just including one more aspect, which is having that product be impactful," Huertas del Pino told ABC7.
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