Cyprinus carpio
The Common Carp, also known as the European or Eurasian Carp, is native to freshwater in Europe and Central Asia, and was introduced to South Africa in the 1700’s. It is valued in aquaculture and recreational angling but is considered to be one of the 100 worst invading species in the world and now occurs in almost all rivers and impoundments in our country. Common Carp negatively impacts local aquatic ecosystems due to their indelicate feeding habits; uprooting plants and churning up the sediment making the water unsuitable for indigenous species.
Common Carp can adapt to almost any water conditions but prefer slow-flowing rivers and standing water, such as in ponds, dams and lakes. They are also quite catholic in their omnivorous diet, consuming anything it finds while poking around the soft silt. European Carp has been cultivated as food for humans since Roman times.
Common Carp breed in spring and summer, and large females may lay more than 300,000 eggs at a time and more than a million in a breeding season. The fry hatch within a week and grow rapidly. They can grow to over a meter in length and more than 30kg in weight – the world angling record stands at over 45kg! Common Carp can live for up to 20 years in the wild.
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