Misconceptions About Carp



A beautiful common caught on Memorial Day in 2014

Most people in the U.S. think of carp as a nuisance or even an invasive species, but in other countries throughout Europe and many other areas of the world; carp are THE fish to go fishing for. Known widely to anglers in Europe, they were brought here purposefully in the mid-1800’s following a rise in European immigration to North America.

They might be a nuisance if you want to catch a mess of catfish for a summer fish fry, but I personally wouldn’t call them invasive.

• A starling in most of the U.S.? Yes.
• A Burmese Python in South Florida? Definitely.
• A bighead or Asian carp in Illinois? Absolutely. 

I am specifically referring to common carp or German carp aka Cyprinus carpio; not to be confused with bighead carp aka Fypophthalmichthys nobilis or Aristichthys nobilis; and silver carp (the jumping variety) aka Hypophthalmichthys molitrix. The bighead and silver carp were not purposefully introduced to the main American waterways, but are believed to have “escaped” from southern catfish farms following a flood in the 1970’s.