Frequently Asked Questions

Copi is a freshwater, top-feeding, wild-caught fish specifically known as Bighead carp, Silver carp, Grass carp, and Black carp. They are fresh fish that are firm and mild with a clean, light taste. In the U.S. these four different fish were generically called Asian Carp.

Copi is short for copious, so it is pronounced koh-pee, in other words copious without the -ous.

First, the flavor profile of this wild-caught fish is different and more complex than most white fish. It is a freshwater fish that tastes rich, the texture is firm, and it takes well to many preparations and seasonings. It allows a chef to be extremely creative.

Eating Copi helps to improve the ecosystem of local waterways. Copi is actually short for ‘copious.’ These fish have become invasive to the point that they have greatly reduced numbers of native species. We want to encourage people to eat well and do good by eating this fresh fish.

Copi is wild-caught (not farm-raised) and is recommended by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch as a good option. It is a responsibly sourced fish that is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, super-rich in protein and has almost no mercury or lead, making it a very healthy choice. Because it’s a local fish, the carbon print is low from boat to table.

Copi is mildly-flavored, firm, and flaky. Its place is among the most popular white fish — more savory than tilapia, cleaner tasting than catfish, less flaky than cod.

While some compare Copi’s mild flavor and texture to catfish, they couldn’t be more different. Unlike bottom-feeding catfish, which scavenge a protein diet of fish and seafood, Copi is a filtering top-feeding fish that eats plankton and vegetation. The taste experience of this freshwater fish is more pure, light and clean with essentially no lead or mercury present. Copi has also been compared to tilapia, but the taste experience of Copi is richer, with a more interesting depth of flavor.

Yes, absolutely. Copi is environmentally-friendly, wild-caught fish and is recommended as a Good Option by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch. Copi is actually short for ‘copious.’ Copi is invasive to local waterways, and their increased numbers have greatly reduced native species. By eating this fresh fish, you’re not only eating well, you’re doing good by helping to restore natural waterways.

Eating Copi is good for the environment to help reduce populations of these invasive species in Midwestern waterways. The aim is not to sustain them. Eating Copi is eco-friendly, but the word “sustainable” should be avoided to prevent confusion.

Copi are so abundant that the possibility of creating a market robust enough to spur intentional spread is quite remote. Copi have been found in the waterways of 26 states in the US and in some places can compose up to 80% of the biomass in the body of water. Spurring market demand as a removal tool is a cost-effective way to help manage populations in coordination with other management efforts. Market-based removal also has other positive effects such as fostering business and employment growth, providing a high-quality affordable protein for consumption, and offering an alternative to overfished ocean seafood.

Copi is an extremely nutritious and clean fresh fish. Copi is high in Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and rich in protein (it’s second only to wild salmon in protein). Because they are top-feeding wild fish that eat primarily plankton and vegetation, they essentially have no mercury or lead.

Copi is a wild-caught fish from fresh waterways in Illinois and the Midwest. It is not imported and it is not sourced from the ocean, which makes it a great alternative to depleted ocean seafoods such as cod, halibut, Chilean sea bass, pollock, orange roughy, tuna and others.

Yes. Copi is a registered trademark owned by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). There are no fees associated with using the Copi brand and gaining permission is easy. Anyone who wishes to use the Copi brand or logo should contact Sales@ChooseCopi.com. We can provide print quality electronic files in a variety of formats and can support sales promotion.

There are many uses for invasive carp — from a whole host of delicious Copi food items, to healthy petfoods and pet treats, to fish meal, fertilizer, cosmetics, and even leather, just to name a few! The Copi brand was created to highlight the healthy food qualities of these fish — high protein, high Omega 3s, very low levels of contaminants — and its mild, delicious flavor profile to encourage people to eat this fish. For this reason, Copi is used to refer to culinary uses of the fish. For other uses, they are called invasive carps.

However, in recent years, demand for high quality ingredients has grown dramatically in the pet food industry. And interest in these fish has grown with it. To emphasize the quality of their petfoods, some manufacturers use Copi on their labeling. While the intent is for Copi to refer to delicious human food, use on our fur friends petfood labels is ok too.