‘Let My Fishies Go’ - A Whopper of a Fish Story

Clinton, Manzullo intercede on behalf of Schafer Fisheries

Tom Kocal

Schafer Fisheries is doing its best to keep Thomson and Northwest Illinois in the national - and now international - spotlight. First, it was the proposed sale of the Thomson Correctional Center to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Now, U.S. officials are attempting a major “catch & release” program with Israel: Schafer’s caught the fish, and they want Israel to release them.

James Schafer of Schafer Fisheries said that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked by U.S. Representative Don Manzullo (R-IL 16th Congressional Dist.) to resolve a trade dispute that has been holding up a 198-ton shipment of Asian Carp from the Carroll County processor headed for Israel. Two containers of finished, frozen fillets are currently being held in a customs warehouse in Haifa, Israel, and 7 more in the states. The containers were initially shipped to a processing plant to be prepared for the Jewish holiday Passover, which starts March 30.

In transcripts of the discussion Secretary Clinton had with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Friday, Feb. 26 (courtesy of Rep. Manzullo’s staff), Clinton said “. . . we have so many serious matters to discuss together, but there is one matter that I have to raise that I was asked about in a congressional hearing yesterday, and that is trying to get nine containers of gefilte fish from the processing plant in Illinois to Israel in time for Passover. (Laughter.) So these are intractable problems; this one we might be able to solve. (Laughter.)

The Defense Minister replied, “Thank you, Secretary Clinton. I’m looking forward for fruitful discussion of all issues, including the gefilte fish.”

But to Schafer Fisheries, as well as the Jewish community around the world, this is no laughing matter.

On Wednesday, Manzullo, whose district covers Northwest Illinois from Rockford to the Mississippi River, wrote a letter to Michael B. Oren, Ambassador of Israel. Manzullo explained that because of the expiration date of an understanding reached between the Israeli Minister of Industry, Trade, Labor and Communications and the United States Trade Representative in 2004, Israel imposed “a significant import duty of 120 percent on Asian Carp.” The 2004 agreement was designed to clarify certain aspects of trade in agricultural products between the U.S. and Israel.

Manzullo stated that Schafer’s is under contract to provide the fish at a set price. If the higher costs stay, that means less fish for Israel, since Asian Carp is the basic ingredient used in the making of gefilte fish.

“Thus, this change in Israeli tariff policy on Asian carp will result in a shortage of gefilte fish for the Israeli people,’’ Manzullo wrote.

Manzullo added, “The tariff makes no sense because there is no Israeli competition and the only company in the world supplying Asian carp for gefilte fish is Schafer.’’

Schafer Fisheries in Thomson, one of the largest carp processors and distributors in the country, according to Mike Schafer, owner. They processes nearly 12 million pounds of carp a year from their facility on the northwest edge of Thomson, built 8 years ago.

“We export a lot - nearly 10 million pounds are shipped all over the world,” said Schafer. “Besides Israel, we ship to Germany, Romania, Singapore - all over Asia and Europe.”

About 2 million pounds are sent to restaurants and ethnic grocery markets in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.

“Mexico is a new market we are looking at, because of the demand for high-protein food like Asian Carp. It’s not in demand here in the states, probably because of the name - carp. But it’s a very mild-tasting fish. When ground up, it has a consistency like hamburger. It’s great in chili, sloppy joes, and we make a lot of tacos,” Schafer added.

“Most Asian Carp come from the Illinois River, and we buy fish from all over, including the Mississippi River,” Schafer said. “But the better quality Asian Carp comes from the Illinois River.

Since escaping from government fish hatcheries and catfish ponds in the South during the 1970s, Asian carp have made a steady and dramatic march up the Mississippi River toward the Great Lakes. Feeding on vegetation and plankton, Asian carp – which actually encompasses four varieties of carp – are fast, prolific breeders that can weigh up to 100 pounds and eat several times their body weight a day. Some estimate there are tens of millions of pounds of harvestable Asian carp in the Illinois River.
Manzullo hopes the situation can be resolved well-before the first seder -- the festive meal that marks the start of the Jewish holiday -- on March 29.

Manzullo said Thursday that Shafer had already laid off 43 workers and cut hours for other employees in Thomson and elsewhere because of the tariff. The hit is hard in economically depressed Thomson and Carroll County, where the unemployment rate has been in double-digits for several months.

Manzullo made to urgent requests to the Israeli government:

1) Give a special exemption ti immediately release the two containers currently in the customs warehouse in Israel, and allow the shipment of the seven additional containers from the U.S. to Israel with zero duty;

2) Work immediately to permanently eliminate the tariff.

“The tariff does not make sense because there is no Israeli competition, and the only company in the world supplying the Asian carp for gefilte fish is Schafer,” Manzullo wrote.

What’s next?

The Prairie Advocate has been in close contact with Rep. Manzullo’s office and Schafer Fisheries. As of press time late Monday, March 1, no word has been received regarding the weekend talks with the Israeli government and Secretary of State Clinton.

“We can only hope for the best,” said Rich Carter, and aid with Rep. Manzullo’s office.