Introduction to Carp
Carp, the name of a group of freshwater fish. The common, or German, carp is about two feet (60 cm) long and weighs 25 pounds (11.3 kg) or more. It is golden olive above, lightening to yellowish-white below. It is very hardy, and some carp in European ponds may live for decades. The fish was introduced into the United States in the late 19th century. It is now especially plentiful in the Mississippi River region. While carp is valued as food in Europe, it is rarely eaten in the United States.
Carp can be two feet long and weigh 25 pounds or more.What Is a Carp?Many species have whiskers, called barbels. Carp also have forked tails. Most species are covered with scales, but some have few or no scales.
Goldfish belong to the carp and minnow family. In the wild, goldfish generally range in color from olive-brown to bronze or silver. Domestic goldfish—that is, the kinds of goldfish kept by people—consist of about 100 varieties.
These goldfish range in color from gold to white, red, black, purple, and yellow.
In addition to goldfish, chubs, dace, and shiners also belong to the carp and minnow family. Fish from this family can live in dirty, murky water—the kind of water that many other fish cannot survive in.
Where Do Goldfish and Other Carp Live in the Wild?Goldfish are native to China and other parts of Asia, but people have released them in many other areas, including Africa, Australia, Europe, and North America. Goldfish live in both clean and muddy water in all these areas.
Other kinds of carp can also be found around the world in bogs (marshy or swampy areas), creeks, lakes, ponds, rivers, sloughs (sloos), and streams. Carp are freshwater fish, so no type of carp lives in the ocean.
Because carp are such hardy, adaptable fish, they are able to survive in many parts of the world.
How Did Carp Spread Throughout the United States?The common carp once lived only in Europe and Asia. In 1877, many of these fish were brought to the United States by the U.S. government. These fish were distributed throughout the country because people thought the common carp was a “miracle fish”—that is, it could be a source of plentiful, inexpensive food for humans. Those original fish and their offspring spread rapidly, and today the common carp lives throughout the United States.
How could a fish species spread throughout a whole country? Besides being released by people in different places, fish can also spread in other ways. For example, fish might swim through streams that connect one body of water with another. Also, ducks or other water birds might carry fish eggs from lake to lake on their feet.
Carp Talk
How Did Breeds of Carp, Including Goldfish, Develop?People have created many breeds of carp. A breed is a group of animals that have the same type of ancestors. Breeds may look different from each other, but they are all in the same species. There are more than 125 breeds of goldfish, with such names as comets, shubunkins, and telescopes.
Many breeds of goldfish were developed in China or Japan hundreds of years ago. These breeds were created using a wild species called the Crucian carp.
How do people make new breeds of fish? They first mate unrelated male and female fish that have a little of the desired trait (feature or characteristic), such as fish with speckled colors. If the offspring of these fish have a little more speckling, breeders then mate those fish. Breeders continue this practice, and after several generations (young born to one set of parents at one time), the result may be an all-speckled breed of fish.
What Are Some Other Kinds of Carp?There are hundreds of kinds of carp. Some have funny names, such as bonytail, chiselmouth, fathead, hardhead, hornyhead, and stoneroller.
Have you ever gone fishing and used small fish as bait to catch larger fish? The small fish were probably minnows, which belong to the carp and minnow family.
Other kinds of fish in the carp and minnow family include barbs, chubs, dace, danios, and shiners.
How Big Do Carp Grow?With as many as 2,000 species (kinds), carp come in a variety of sizes.
If kept in a large aquarium, some goldfish grow to about 12 inches (30 centimeters) in length. In the wild, some goldfish grow to almost 2 feet (61 centimeters) in length.
Most other kinds of carp are between 12 inches (30 centimeters) and 30 inches (76 centimeters) long and weigh between 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms) and 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms). There are much larger carp, however. The largest species of carp in North America is the Colorado pikeminnow. It can grow to lengths of 3 to 6 feet (0.9 to 1.8 meters).
In 2006, scientists announced that they had discovered the world’s smallest fish—a species of carp with a see-through body only about 1⁄3 inch (8 millimeters) long.
How Long Do Carp Live?Scientists can tell how old a fish is by counting the growth lines on its scales. These lines are somewhat like the rings on a tree stump—for each year of life, a new line forms.
Goldfish in home aquariums usually live about 5 years, though some have lived for more than 20 years. The oldest known goldfish lived more than 40 years. The better care you give your goldfish, the better are its chances for a long life.
Most wild carp are thought to live between 15 and 18 years. However, this depends on the species. Larger species usually live longer than smaller species.
Do Carp Cause Problems?When hardy species, such as carp, come from other places, they sometimes cause problems for the native animals and plants—that is, the animals and plants that originated there. The native animals and plants are not used to the new species, and they may not have ways to defend against it.
Carp harm many native species of fish by crowding them out of their habitats. Carp also eat the food and eggs of native fish.
Many fishermen in the United States think that carp are a big problem because they pull up the roots of water plants. This stirs up dirt and muddies the water—creating conditions in which other kinds of fish find it difficult to survive.
What Stories and Legends Are Told About Carp?Because carp are tough and do well in difficult conditions that would kill other fish, people have made up many stories, legends, and myths about carp. In Asia, carp are used as symbols for certain character traits or abilities that people admire.
In China, carp have long been a symbol of fertility (the ability to produce many young). The Chinese also tell stories of how carp have turned into dragons. In Japan, carp are a symbol of courage and strength. In Korea, carp are a symbol of youth, bravery, strength, and wealth.
The common carp is Cyprinus carpio. Carps belong to the family Cyprinidae.