carp

[kahrp]

carp, hardy freshwater fish, Cyprinus carpio, the largest member of the minnow family. A native of Asia, the carp was introduced into Europe and America and has become so well established that it is called the English sparrow of the fishes. Many variations in color and form have developed. Carp have four barbels ("whiskers") around the mouth and are usually dark greenish or brown (occasionally yellowish or silvery), with red on some of the fins. Most carp are scaled, although the mirror carp has only a few scattered scales and the leather carp has none. Carp may reach a length of 3 ft (91 cm) and a weight of 25 lbs (11.3 kg). They are bottom feeders, eating chiefly aquatic plants but also insects and small animals; their habit of rooting in the mud often makes the water unfit for the feeding and spawning of other fish. However, they are valued commercially as food fish, especially in Europe, where they are sometimes bred and raised for this purpose. Ornamental varieties are bred in Japan. Carp are classified in the phylum Chordata, class Osteichthyes, order Cypriniformes, family Cyprinidae.

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carp

Hardy, greenish brown fish (Cyprinus carpio, family Cyprinidae) native to Asia but introduced into Europe, North America, and elsewhere. Large-scaled, with two barbels (fleshy, whiskerlike feelers) on each side of its upper jaw, the carp lives alone or in small schools in quiet, weedy, mud-bottomed ponds, lakes, and rivers. An omnivore, it often stirs up sediment while rooting about for food, adversely affecting many plants and animals. Carp grow to an average length of about 14 in. (35 cm); some grow to 40 in. (100 cm) and 49 lbs (22 kg). In captivity they may live more than 40 years.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Carp

Carp is a common name for various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish originally from Eurasia and southeast Asia. Some consider all cyprinid fishes carp and the family Cyprinidae itself is often known as the carp family. In colloquial use, however, carp usually refers only to several larger cyprinid species such as Cyprinus carpio (common carp), Carassius carassius (Crucian carp), Ctenopharyngodon idella (grass carp), Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (silver carp), and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (bighead carp). Carp have long been an important food fish to humans, as well as popular ornamental fishes (see koi and goldfish). As a result, carp have been introduced to various locations, though with mixed results.

Ornamental carp

Carp, along with many of their cyprinid relatives, are popular ornamental aquarium and pond fish. The two most notable ornamental carps are goldfish and koi. Goldfish (Carassius auratus) were kept as ornamental fish in China for hundreds of years before being introduced to Japan in the 15th century, and to Europe in the late 17th century. The koi, a domesticated variety of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), also originated from China and spread widely in Japan. The koi are historically a prevalent symbol in Japanese culture of good luck. They are shown in competitive fish shows like those at the All-Japan exhibition. They are also popular in other parts of the world as pond fish. Goldfish and koi have advantages over most ornamental fishes, as they are tolerant of cold (they can survive in water temperatures as low as 4 degrees Celsius), and can survive at low oxygen levels.

As a Sport Fish

Carp are similarly variable in terms of angling value. In Europe, even when not fished for food, they are eagerly sought out by anglers, being considered highly prized coarse fish that are difficult to hook. In the United States, the carp is also classified as a rough fish as well as damaging naturalized exotic species but with sporting qualities. Many states' departments of natural resources are beginning to view the carp as an angling opportunity instead of a maligned pest. Groups such as the Carp Anglers Group and American Carp Society have continued to promote the sport and are working hand in hand with fisheries departments to organize events to introduce and expose others to the unique opportunity the carp offers freshwater anglers. The American Carp Society held a tournament in March of 2006 in Austin Texas that paid out $275,000 to the winners. Popular baits include canned corn and homemade doughballfishes live in ecosystems concoctions known as "boilies" in England.

Sir Isaac Walton said this about carp in his work The Compleat Angler "The Carp is the queen of rivers; a stately, a good, and a very subtil fish; that was not at first bred, nor hath been long in England, but is now naturalised."

However, in some countries, due to their habit of grubbing through bottom sediments for food and alteration of their environment, they destroy, uproot and disturb submerged vegetation causing serious damage to native duck and fish populations. In Australia there is enormous anecdotal and mounting scientific evidence that introduced carp are the cause of permanent turbidity and loss of submerged vegetation in the Murray-Darling river system, with severe consequences for river ecosystems, water quality and native fish species.