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" Rough Fish Identification "
Carp ( Common )
Common carp is the main aquaculture
species in many European and Asian countries. This fish has several advantages
that made it so popular for commercial culture:
a) very fast growth rate
b) high tolerance and easiness to handle
c) ability to be raised in high density and to give high production per square
unit
d) ability to utilize prepared diet with relatively low content of protein, and
e) occurrence of highly productive strains and breeds reared during a long-term
process of selection and domestication.
Five species of
Asian carp now occur in the United States. The species most anglers are
familiar with is the common carp Cyprinus carpio. Common carp, brought to
the United States in 1831, were soon propagated and distributed throughout the
country. Common carp are so universally common today that they are
generally considered part of the native fish community. However, few
anglers would argue that our lakes and rivers would be better without them.
Carp ( White Amur or Grassy )
The grass carp, also known as the white amur, is a vegetarian fish native to the Amur River in Asia. Because this fish feeds on aquatic plants, it can be used as a biological tool to control nuisance aquatic plant growth.
Carp ( High Fin Carpsucker )
Overall distribution: Along the Gulf Coast, these suckers range from Louisiana eastward to the Choctawhatchee River of Florida. In the west, it ranges northward from Louisiana to the Texas-Oklahoma border and north to Minnesota and Wisconsin. In the east it ranges from Florida, northward to North Carolina and Ohio.
Carp ( Bighead )
Where did the Big Head Carp come from?
 | The big head carp is
native to Asia.
| It was introduced to
the Mississippi River when private hatchery ponds were washed out in the
state of Arkansas in the 1970’s or possibly they were let go into the wild
when they were no longer needed on by the fish farmers.
| Appeared in open
water in the early 1980’s in the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
| Big head carp have
been found in at least 19 states including Lake Erie. | |
Why are Big Head Carp a problem?
| Big head carp eat
blue green algae, zooplankton, and aquatic insects and larva.
| The big head carp
does not have a true stomach so it must constantly eat.
| It is also thought
that big head carp will compete for food with fish that are still in the
larval stage and fish populations decrease because the larval fish do not
get enough food to survive.
| The big head carp is
also a very high jumper. They can jump high enough to strike boaters
in their boats.
| Bighead carp spawn
when the water temperature is between 77-86 degrees.
| Females spawn between
April and June, with the peak spawning season in late May.
| Females carry
660,000-872,000 eggs on average.
| As female big head
carp get older they increase the number of eggs they carry each time they
spawn.
| Some cultures will
but two of these fish live, one for eating, and one for release. This
is not a safe practice; it will only help the populations grow. | |
What do Big Head Carp look like?
| Bid head carp are
dark green to olive in color on their backs.
| They have gray to
silvery sides, with a white to cream colored belly.
| The scales are very
tiny, and the eyes are set below the midline of the body.
| The body of a big
head carp is long and compressed.
| The head is very
large compared to the body, this is where the fish gets it’s name, the big
head carp.
| They can weigh from
55-110 lbs (25-50 kg).
| Big head carp can be
up to 59 inches (1.5 meters) long.
| The big head carp
have long gill rakers, which allow them to strain plankton from the water
for food. | |
Carp ( Silver )
The silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix is also native to the large rivers of eastern China and looks and acts very similar to the bighead carp. Bighead carp have a keel on the belly that extends only partway to the head and has dark blotches along the back. The keel on silver carp extends all the way to the head. Silver carp have a smaller head and mouth than the bighead carp. Like bighead carp, silver carp were imported into Arkansas in 1973 for use as phytoplankton control in culture ponds and as a potential food fish. Silver carp are efficient at straining suspended material from the water through use of gill raker's that are fused into sponge-like porous plates. Silver carp are also a competitor with all larval and juvenile fishes as well as adult paddlefish, bigmouth buffalo, and gizzard shad. Silver carp have spread throughout the large rivers in the Mississippi basin and are reproducing in off-channel and backwater habitats. Silver carp have been found in both the Arkansas and Red rivers in Oklahoma. Small silver carp and bighead carp resemble gizzard shad. Cast-netting for bait in tail waters below some major reservoirs in Oklahoma has the potential to introduce Asian carp into some of the premier sport fishing lakes in the state. Anglers routinely cast net for bait below the Texoma Dam and use the bait to fish for striped bass or catfish in Lake Texoma. Asian carp can be accidentally introduced into the lake through this practice. Bighead and silver carp have reproductive requirements similar to those of striped bass. There is a real potential to establish a reproducing population of Asian carp in Lake Texoma which could be devastating to striped bass fishery and paddlefish recovery efforts.
Note
Asian carp have grown in number in the southern portion of the Illinois River to the point they are beginning to crowd out sport fish, such as largemouth bass and white bass, Fall 2005 report.
For more information about the Carp Species go to
