Fish for the right name

Chicago Sun-Times: People who would never touch Patagonian toothfish or slimehead would be happy to dine on Chilean sea bass or orange roughy.

Of course, those actually are the same fish species — rebranded with tastier-sounding names.

So perhaps the first step the Illinois Department of Natural Resources should take in a campaign that started recently to work up a regional appetite for Asian carp is to rechristen the carp with an appetizing appellation.

Illinois already is shipping some of the excessively bony Asian carp to China, where it is considered a delicacy. But state officials hope to create a demand here as well, which could drive down the carp population and the threat to the lakes. Also, in a time of hunger, carp could round out the menus at soup kitchens and food pantries.

Already, some people in Louisiana have taken to referring to Asian carp as silverfin. Other names Illinois might consider include Chicago cod, L-ibut or Big Tuna tuna.