Massive schools
There are more than 40 commercial fishermen dedicated to catching Asian carp in western Kentucky. The long-term prospects offered by excessive numbers of the species are what Berry and Irwin are relying on to ensure work until they retire.
Berry said: "We want a bigger boat. From what we see out there, we confidently think we can catch anywhere from 13,000 to 23,000 kg a day with a purse seine type of net. The schools of fish are massive."
Once a school is located, a skiff encircles it with a purse seine net. The lead line is then pulled in to close the net, preventing fish from escaping.
"The way we are fishing now, we start the net off at the bow of the boat," Berry said. "But we are missing fish because we are not going fast enough."
He said he and Irwin are saving and plan to reinvest all their money on equipment. A bigger boat would also help. They have to deliver two to three times a day because the one they use can only hold up to 1,360 kg of fish.
"If you come in to the shore to deliver, it takes at least an hour - an hour we lose on the water. The thing about the fish is that once you find them, you've got to stay on top of them," Berry said.
Irwin said that every day the fish seem to prefer different temperatures and water depths. He is using all the skills he has learned throughout the world to find better ways to fish for carp in Kentucky.
The half-brothers are not the only ones lured to the state by Asian carp. About a year ago, Lin Jiantong and his wife Jiang Huiying moved there from Atlanta to fish the species.
In Atlanta, they were employed as kitchen workers by Chinese restaurants. After learning they could make a living from fishing, Lin had no hesitation in trying a new lifestyle.
Growing up along the coast in Fujian province, he knows a thing or two about fishing.
"I like it much better here, where I am not working in a small and crowded space. I don't have to follow anyone's orders. It is so much nicer to be on the open water with fresh air. If I don't feel like working, I take a day off. It's great," Lin said.
The couple does not catch as much carp as Irwin and Berry, but Lin said they earn the same amount that they made in Atlanta, and it is much cheaper living in the country.
But Jiang said she preferred living in a city. She told her husband: "So many people live in the city and do what we did. Why can't you? I am less happy now."
Despite her protests, her husband decided for both of them. Jiang has proved to be a hard worker in her new role and is highly competent. She stands and walks about on a moving boat with ease, and can deftly drop a net into the water.
