Common Carp

QUICK FACTS

Length: 1 - 2 feet
Color: Green, Brown, Yellow, or Silver
Diet: Omnivorous
Habitat: Wetlands, lakes and rivers (shallow waters in spring)
Average Lifespan: ~20 years
Status: Least Concern (not endangered)

 

Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

The common carp is native to Asia and Europe. When European settlers arrived, they began to import fish and breed them for food on farms. Soon the public wanted carp to be even more readily available. Thanks to public pressure and the overexploitation of other fish species, the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries began introducing the common carp into the wild in 1877.

The common carp can thrive in most water conditions, so their population quickly grew and they began spreading into other freshwater bodies. Once thought of as a wonderful addition to the Americas, the common carp became a nuisance for fisherman and conservationists who wanted a resurgence of native fish populations.

The carp have grown so plentiful that aquatic plants needed by native birds and fish are much more scarce. In the Merrimack River, though it does support some other species of sedentary fish, the most common catch is undoubtedly the common carp. To help slow the spread of this invasive species, it is illegal in Massachusetts to introduce more common carp into the wild.