Asian Carp

ASIAN CARP
Silver and bighead carp were first
captured from the wild in the 1980’s, and
continued escaping aquaculture facilities
through the 1990’s.Both fishes grow quickly
to large size (50 to 100 pounds). Thousands of
carp can be caught from an area less than half
an acre. These carp pose a considerable
hazard to boaters, mainly due to silver carp
jumping into moving boats, causing human
injuries and property damage. Damage from
a jumping carp hitting an object might
reasonably be compared to being hit with a
bowling ball. Water skiing is a risky sport in
waters that silver carp inhabit.
These carp are in direct competition
with native fishes for food and space, and may
prey on larvae of native fishes. Most native
fishes eat plankton during part of their life
cycle, the same food that Asian carps eat. Like
the introduced zebra mussel, Asian carp have
the potential to disrupt the ecology and the
food web of large river systems.