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Evolutionary Relationships: The Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) belongs to the Family Cyprinidae (The Carps and Minnows) which also includes the local species Common Goldfish (Cyprinus auratus), Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), Creek Chub Minnow (Semotilus atromaculatus), and Common Shiner Minnow (Luxilus cornutus). Common Carp are native to Eastern Europe and
Asia
.
Common carp can be found in three body variants: leather (no scales), mirror (few, very large scales with areas of no scales), or fully scaled, and two natural color morphs: red (also called ‘golden’) or brown. In the
United States
, red morphs are absent. In
Asia
, a red carp is considered a rare, highly prized trophy catch.
Common Carp, fully scaled and mirror variants shown. Image from: http://www.carpfishing.ie/images/carpfishing%20carp%20varities.jpg)
Distribution: Common carp can be found in slow-moving fresh- and slightly brackish waters across the United States.
Feeding Habits: Common carp can be found in slow-moving fresh- and slightly brackish waters across the
United States
. They are an opportunistic scavenger. As omnivores, carp consume various aquatic plants, vertebrates (e.g., small fishes), and invertebrates (e.g., insects, crustaceans, worms).
Reproductive Biology: Carp are an egg-laying species. Females can lay up to 300,000 eggs which are fertilized by male(s) that aggressively swim along side an egg-depositing female. It is not uncommon to see groups of spawning carp splashing across shallow shorelines during the breeding season. The common carp may grow as old as 65 years and reach sizes of up to 5 feet, weighing over 80lbs.
US Fishing Interest: MODEST
In the
US
, the common carp has been considered a pest or “junk” fish. The origin of this negative reputation may be due to its ecological impact as an invasive species (See Historical Impacts below) or its passive, non-predatory lifestyle. Interestingly, in Asia and especially
Europe
, the popularity of this species as a gamefish is unmatched. In these regions, the common carp is considered the most highly prized gamefish because of its fighting ability and intelligence. Highly specialized techniques, rigs, and baits have been developed in Europe and
Asia
to target this species.
The notion that common carp are a formidable gamefish is slowly gaining popularity among US anglers as reflected by the emergence of websites such as http://www.carpfishing.8k.com. The introductory home page of this site reads:
“Here in the
U.S.
the Carp Cyprinius Carpio is looked upon as a trash fish by most anglers. While throughout the rest of the world, and especially in the U.K. and
Europe
, the Carp is considered the king of sport fish. Isaak Walton, often considered the father of modern angling stated in his opus the ‘Compleat Angler’ in 1653: ‘The carp is the Queen of Rivers: a stately, a good and a very subtle fish...’ My purpose in creating this web site is to provide a place to disseminate information to carpers throughout
North America
and the World.”
Videos:
NYC Carp Fishing (Asian-style Cane Pole Method):
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TACTICS - Chumming:
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TACTICS - The Hair-Rig (European-style Rigging Method):
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NY Fish-in 2010 (video 1, European-style Carp Fishing):
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NY Fish-in 2010 (video 2, European-style Carp Fishing):
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World Record:
Emir Caro caught the world record common carp, which weighed a whopping 84lb 12oz!
(Picture from http://www.carphunters.com/)
Emir Caro, German angler, caught this common carp with “20mm boilie, Mako super fly hook size 3, 18lb Krystonite with a 65lb Score Gold lead core leader” on June 14, 2007 (http://www.fishingmagic.com/). This mammoth fish was weighed and witnessed before it was finally photographed and released, as the angler was convinced that the fish was ready to spawn.
Historical Impact:
- The first book ever written on aquaculture, "Treatise on Pisciculture," by Fan Lee was written in 473 BC and it was about the carp.
- Carp were legally (not illegal) introduced into England in the 13th century and into the
United States
in 1877 because of their anticipated favor by anglers.
- Koi is a domesticated ornamental variety of the common carp. The art of breeding koi varieties originated in
China
but became popular in Western culture due to the efforts of
Japanese aquarists
. Koi can commonly be found in artificial ornamental ponds and pools.
(Image from: http://www.columbiawatergardens.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/intro.jpg)
- The common carp is one of four very large Asian carps that have been introduced by humans into freshwaters of the
United States
. These carps include the silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), which were brought to the
US
to be raised as an affordable food fish. In contrast, the common carp and grass carp have been intentionally introduced in the
US
by government agencies to control algal blooms in ponds and lakes.
Due to a variety of favorable ecological factors (e.g., lack of natural predators, abundant food), these fish have spread rapidly across the country and are now considered “invasive species.” Unfortunately, this invasion of carps has posed serious ecological concerns for native fishes. Due do their rapid growth rate and destructive mating behavior, carp often thrive and outcompete native fishes for resources. More recently, the silver carp has posed unexpected physical danger to human beings. For reasons yet unknown, these large (up to 80lbs) carp regularly leap out of the water (up to 10ft!), often unintentionally striking boaters and fishermen. Today, there is a major effort to stop the spread of this species to the
Great Lakes
, but some feel that any attempt will be futile
. Those who are more pessimistic may be correct - http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/06/24/carp-pocalypse-the-great-lakes-asian-carp-invasion-begins/.
- The grass carp that are found in NYC and
Long Island
are genetically engineered to be sterile triploids (organisms with three, instead of two, sets of chromosomes). Due to runoff from fertilizers and the feeding of water fowl by humans, many lakes in the NY area have become overrun by algae. They have been introduced by the NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation to help regulate algal growth in these eutrophicated lakes. Eutrophication can pose a serious ecological threat to any body of freshwater. Normally, algae that die in the winter are decomposed via bacteria that utilize dissolved oxygen in the water. An increase in algal quantity results in a corresponding increase in the amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria, which can limit the remaining dissolved oxygen required to sustain other aquatic organisms like fish. The sterile grass carp agenda has been one attempt to combat the potential danger of eutrophication in NY ponds and lakes.
(Image from: http://www.dec.ny.gov/images/fish_marine_images/grasscarp.gif)
Sources and Further Reading:
Gary W. Clark’s Carp Fishing website:
http://www.carpfishing.8k.com/
On-line fish biology database:
www.fishbase.org
Comprehensive British fishing resource website:
http://www.fishingmagic.com/
US carp fishing resource websites:
http://www.carpamerica.com
http://www.carp-usa.info/
http://www.carpanglersgroup.com/where.html
See also: http://ppark728.blogspot.com/2011/01/species-bio-common-carp-cyprinus-carpio.html
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