The carp is native to the Far East, but it is hard to say when it was introduced into Europe, probably at the time of the Romans. It was not until the Middle Ages, however, that carp began to be raised in bodies of water in the Great European Plain. This fish had become a prized source of protein for the many days of fasting imposed by the Christian religion. So it is no coincidence that carp farming was perfected in monasteries. At that time, the effort to set aside the finest specimens for reproduction led to a genetic selection that has given us the robust, fleshy, long-lived fish that we know today, including those in the wild. Semi-extensive pond breeding began in the 19th century and is still practiced today, primarily in central Europe, where carp is still a popular feature of local gastronomy.
Latin name – Cyprinus carpio
Taxonomic Code : 1400200201
Production (EU-27) – 66 330 t (2007); 2 % of global production
Value (EU-27) – EUR 140 million (2007)
Main EU producer countries – Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Germany
Main producer countries worldwide – China, Indonesia, Myanmar
Local Names
Afrikaans : Karp
Albanian : Krapi
Bulgarian : Ponty
Cantonese : Lei ue
Czech : Karp obecny
Danish : Karpe
Dutch : Karper
English : Carp, European carp, German carp, Koi, Leather carp, Mirror carp
Finnish : Karppi
French : Carpe
Gaelic/Irish : Carban
German : Karpfen, Weißfische
Turkish : Sazan
Diagnostic Features
Body elongated and somewhat compressed. Lips thick. Two pairs of barbels at angle of mouth, shorter ones on the upper lip. Dorsal fin base long with 17-22 branched rays and a strong, toothed spine in front; dorsal fin outline concave anteriorly. Anal fin with 6-7 soft rays; posterior edge of 3rd dorsal and anal fin spines with sharp spinules. Lateral line with 32 to 38 scales. Pharyngeal teeth 5:5, teeth with flattened crowns. Color variable, wild carp are brownish-green on the back and upper sides, shading to golden yellow ventrally. The fins are dusky, ventrally with a reddish tinge. Golden carp are bred for ornamental purposes.
Habitat and Biology
Wild common carp (generally referred to as 'carp' in this fact sheet) live in the middle and lower streams of rivers, in inundated areas, and in shallow confined waters, such as lakes, oxbow lakes, and water reservoirs. Carp are mainly bottom dwellers but search for food in the middle and upper layers of the water body. Typical 'carp ponds' in Europe are shallow, eutrophic ponds with a muddy bottom and dense aquatic vegetation at the dikes.The ecological spectrum of carp is broad. Best growth is obtained when water temperature ranges between 23 °C and 30 °C. The fish can survive cold winter periods. Salinity up to about 5‰ is tolerated. The optimal pH range is 6.5-9.0. The species can survive low oxygen concentration (0.3-0.5 mg/liter) as well as supersaturation. Carp are omnivorous, with a high tendency towards the consumption of animal food, such as water insects, larvae of insects, worms, mollusks, and zooplankton. Zooplankton consumption is dominant in fish ponds where the stocking density is high. Additionally, the carp consumes the stalks, leaves and seeds of aquatic and terrestrial plants, decayed aquatic plants, etc. The pond farming of carp is based on the ability of the species to accept and utilize cereals supplied by the farmers. The daily growth of carp can be 2 to 4 percent of body weigh. Carps can reach 0.6 to 1.0 kg body weight within one season in the polycultural fish ponds of subtropical/tropical areas. Growth is much slower in the temperate zone: here the fish reach the 1 to 2 kg body weight after 2 to 4 rearing seasons. In Europe, female carp need about 11 000 to 12 000 degree-days to reach maturity in the temperate and subtropical climatic zones. Male carp are matured within a period that is 25-35 percent shorter. The maturity period of Asian carp strains is slightly shorter. The spawning of European carp starts when the water temperature is 17-18 °C. Asian strains start to spawn when the ion concentration of the water decreases abruptly at the beginning of the rainy season. Wild carps are partial spawners. Domesticated carps release all their matured eggs within a few hours. After hormonal treatment carp release their ripe eggs within a much shorter period, which makes stripping possible. The quantity of released eggs is 100 to 230 g/kg body weight. The egg shell becomes sticky after contacting water.
The embryonic development of carp takes about 3 days at 20-23 °C (60-70 degree-days). Under natural conditions, hatched fry stick to the substrata. About three days after hatching the posterior part of the swim bladder develops, the larvae swim horizontally, and start to consume external food with a maximum size of 150-180 µm (mainly rotifers).
Market And Trade
Statistical data indicate that common carp production may have come close to its limit. However, common carp will remain an important species in those areas where it is produced traditionally. The majority of the carp are consumed domestically. Based on several trials on common carp processing carried out in Europe, it was revealed that live or freshly dressed fish are required by the market. Processing increased the price of carp to less competitive levels, so a significant increase in the demand for processed carp products cannot be forecast.
Typically, about 24000 tones of live, fresh/chilled filleted or frozen carp products (all species) are traded (imported or exported) within Europe annually. The main exporters are Austria, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Lithuania. The main importers in 2002 were Austria, Germany, Hungary and Poland. In the whole of the rest of the world, including the principal producing region (Asia), international trading of all carp species is quite limited (39 000 tones/yr in 2002).
Production of 'bio carp' has been started in some areas. Quality labeling and an emphasis on the fact that the carp are produced in extensive or semi-intensive systems that are environment-friendly technologies, may increase the acceptance of common carp by certain groups of consumers.
A change in the main objective of common carp production can be observed in Europe. Formerly, the market demanded fish mainly for consumption. Recently, a significant quantity of the carp produced in aquaculture is stocked into natural waters and water reservoirs for angling purposes. Since the anglers prefer fish that are more active on the hook than the domesticated carp, they need wild carp or hybrids of domesticated and wild carp strains. Wild carp are required also for re-stocking natural waters, where the rehabilitation of natural fauna is carried out.
Status and trends
Since this species has outstanding importance in freshwater aquaculture, many aspects of its physiology, nutrition, genetics, and diseases have been studied during past decades. The role of common carp in water ecosystems has been examined, and breeding and rearing technologies that fit various climatic conditions and intensity levels have been developed.
The tasks for the future include:
Rearing technology: introduction/adaptation of technologies that are optimal for various climatic, environmental and socio-economic conditions, and the wider application of environmental friendly bicultural and polycultural systems in traditional carp-producing areas.
Rotational aquaculture and agriculture: introduction of the rotational use of land for agricultural/carp-based aquacultural systems may help to eliminate the adverse environmental impact of intensive agriculture in many places. This system can also be used for soil desalination.
Genetics: practice-oriented genetic research needs to be continued for the development of reliable breeding systems. Based on genetic research, breeding associations should be established for maintaining the stabile 'landraces' (strains) in various geographical areas and climatic zones, in order to avoid inbreeding. INGA (International Network on Genetics in Aquaculture, organized by the World Fish Center, formerly ICLARM) helps to fulfill the above tasks in Southeast Asian and East European areas. There is some scope in fish genetics for increasing the disease resistance of carps by the development of resistant strains and hybrids.
Diseases and control: adverse changes in the natural environment, the increasing intensity of carp production in many areas, extensive inter-regional transport of common carp and other cyprinids, and the ban on using several traditional medicaments (fungicides, antibiotics and insecticides) call for the intensification of research on carp diseases. A relatively new and promising field of research is the development of immunostimulants, for increasing the natural resistance of fish. The development of vaccines seems to be the most promising solution for avoiding the application of antibiotics. Development and large-scale application of vaccines against viral diseases have primary importance to control 'traditional' viral diseases, such as the spring viremia, carp pox and viral gill necrosis. Large-scale introduction of vaccination against 'KHV' (which is actually a virus called Carp Nephritis and Gill Necrosis Virus, CNGNV) is also very important in the infected or endangered areas. The development of rapid diagnostic tools to determine the bacterial and viral infections is also necessary. Vigilance on parasitical diseases should be maintained. Research on better understanding of pre-conditioning environmental and technological factors, which make the fish less resistant and the pathogens more virulent, should also be continued.
Main issues
The effect of extensive carp farming on the environment is negligible or even positive, since the carp help to maintain aerobic bottom conditions. The environmental effect of semi-intensive polycultural carp farming depends on the intensity of production, and on the water quality of recipients. The accumulation of silt and organic material can be very high in integrated systems. However, the rotational use of land for fish-cum-duck and alfalfa and rice production is the most environmental friendly means of conducting aquaculture and agriculture. The effect of intensive (industrial) aquaculture systems on the environment depends on the efficiency of waste management.
The overstocking of open waters with carp and the introduction of non-indigenous carps may cause negative impacts. The population of aquatic weeds can be destroyed by increasing turbidity and uprooting plants. By decreasing the spawning grounds available for phytophil species, common carp may decrease the biodiversity in natural waters.
FAO. © 2005-2011. Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme. Oncorhynchus mykiss. Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme. Text by Cowx, I. G. In: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department [online]. Rome. Updated 15 June 2005. [Cited 12 September 2011]. http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Cyprinus_carpio/en
http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/marine_species/farmed_fish_and_shellfish/carp/index_en.htm
The carp is native to the Far East, but it is hard to say when it was introduced into Europe, probably at the time of the Romans. It was not until the Middle Ages, however, that carp began to be raised in bodies of water in the Great European Plain. This fish had become a prized source of protein for the many days of fasting imposed by the Christian religion. So it is no coincidence that carp farming was perfected in monasteries. At that time, the effort to set aside the finest specimens for reproduction led to a genetic selection that has given us the robust, fleshy, long-lived fish that we know today, including those in the wild. Semi-extensive pond breeding began in the 19th century and is still practiced today, primarily in central Europe, where carp is still a popular feature of local gastronomy.
Latin name – Cyprinus carpio
Taxonomic Code : 1400200201
Production (EU-27) – 66 330 t (2007); 2 % of global production
Value (EU-27) – EUR 140 million (2007)
Main EU producer countries – Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Germany
Main producer countries worldwide – China, Indonesia, Myanmar
Local Names
Afrikaans : Karp
Albanian : Krapi
Bulgarian : Ponty
Cantonese : Lei ue
Czech : Karp obecny
Danish : Karpe
Dutch : Karper
English : Carp, European carp, German carp, Koi, Leather carp, Mirror carp
Finnish : Karppi
French : Carpe
Gaelic/Irish : Carban
German : Karpfen, Weißfische
Turkish : Sazan
Diagnostic Features
Body elongated and somewhat compressed. Lips thick. Two pairs of barbels at angle of mouth, shorter ones on the upper lip. Dorsal fin base long with 17-22 branched rays and a strong, toothed spine in front; dorsal fin outline concave anteriorly. Anal fin with 6-7 soft rays; posterior edge of 3rd dorsal and anal fin spines with sharp spinules. Lateral line with 32 to 38 scales. Pharyngeal teeth 5:5, teeth with flattened crowns. Color variable, wild carp are brownish-green on the back and upper sides, shading to golden yellow ventrally. The fins are dusky, ventrally with a reddish tinge. Golden carp are bred for ornamental purposes.
Habitat and Biology
Wild common carp (generally referred to as 'carp' in this fact sheet) live in the middle and lower streams of rivers, in inundated areas, and in shallow confined waters, such as lakes, oxbow lakes, and water reservoirs. Carp are mainly bottom dwellers but search for food in the middle and upper layers of the water body. Typical 'carp ponds' in Europe are shallow, eutrophic ponds with a muddy bottom and dense aquatic vegetation at the dikes.The ecological spectrum of carp is broad. Best growth is obtained when water temperature ranges between 23 °C and 30 °C. The fish can survive cold winter periods. Salinity up to about 5‰ is tolerated. The optimal pH range is 6.5-9.0. The species can survive low oxygen concentration (0.3-0.5 mg/liter) as well as supersaturation. Carp are omnivorous, with a high tendency towards the consumption of animal food, such as water insects, larvae of insects, worms, mollusks, and zooplankton. Zooplankton consumption is dominant in fish ponds where the stocking density is high. Additionally, the carp consumes the stalks, leaves and seeds of aquatic and terrestrial plants, decayed aquatic plants, etc. The pond farming of carp is based on the ability of the species to accept and utilize cereals supplied by the farmers. The daily growth of carp can be 2 to 4 percent of body weigh. Carps can reach 0.6 to 1.0 kg body weight within one season in the polycultural fish ponds of subtropical/tropical areas. Growth is much slower in the temperate zone: here the fish reach the 1 to 2 kg body weight after 2 to 4 rearing seasons. In Europe, female carp need about 11 000 to 12 000 degree-days to reach maturity in the temperate and subtropical climatic zones. Male carp are matured within a period that is 25-35 percent shorter. The maturity period of Asian carp strains is slightly shorter. The spawning of European carp starts when the water temperature is 17-18 °C. Asian strains start to spawn when the ion concentration of the water decreases abruptly at the beginning of the rainy season. Wild carps are partial spawners. Domesticated carps release all their matured eggs within a few hours. After hormonal treatment carp release their ripe eggs within a much shorter period, which makes stripping possible. The quantity of released eggs is 100 to 230 g/kg body weight. The egg shell becomes sticky after contacting water.
The embryonic development of carp takes about 3 days at 20-23 °C (60-70 degree-days). Under natural conditions, hatched fry stick to the substrata. About three days after hatching the posterior part of the swim bladder develops, the larvae swim horizontally, and start to consume external food with a maximum size of 150-180 µm (mainly rotifers).
Market And Trade
Statistical data indicate that common carp production may have come close to its limit. However, common carp will remain an important species in those areas where it is produced traditionally. The majority of the carp are consumed domestically. Based on several trials on common carp processing carried out in Europe, it was revealed that live or freshly dressed fish are required by the market. Processing increased the price of carp to less competitive levels, so a significant increase in the demand for processed carp products cannot be forecast.
Typically, about 24000 tones of live, fresh/chilled filleted or frozen carp products (all species) are traded (imported or exported) within Europe annually. The main exporters are Austria, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Lithuania. The main importers in 2002 were Austria, Germany, Hungary and Poland. In the whole of the rest of the world, including the principal producing region (Asia), international trading of all carp species is quite limited (39 000 tones/yr in 2002).
Production of 'bio carp' has been started in some areas. Quality labeling and an emphasis on the fact that the carp are produced in extensive or semi-intensive systems that are environment-friendly technologies, may increase the acceptance of common carp by certain groups of consumers.
A change in the main objective of common carp production can be observed in Europe. Formerly, the market demanded fish mainly for consumption. Recently, a significant quantity of the carp produced in aquaculture is stocked into natural waters and water reservoirs for angling purposes. Since the anglers prefer fish that are more active on the hook than the domesticated carp, they need wild carp or hybrids of domesticated and wild carp strains. Wild carp are required also for re-stocking natural waters, where the rehabilitation of natural fauna is carried out.
Status and trends
Since this species has outstanding importance in freshwater aquaculture, many aspects of its physiology, nutrition, genetics, and diseases have been studied during past decades. The role of common carp in water ecosystems has been examined, and breeding and rearing technologies that fit various climatic conditions and intensity levels have been developed.
The tasks for the future include:
Rearing technology: introduction/adaptation of technologies that are optimal for various climatic, environmental and socio-economic conditions, and the wider application of environmental friendly bicultural and polycultural systems in traditional carp-producing areas.
Rotational aquaculture and agriculture: introduction of the rotational use of land for agricultural/carp-based aquacultural systems may help to eliminate the adverse environmental impact of intensive agriculture in many places. This system can also be used for soil desalination.
Genetics: practice-oriented genetic research needs to be continued for the development of reliable breeding systems. Based on genetic research, breeding associations should be established for maintaining the stabile 'landraces' (strains) in various geographical areas and climatic zones, in order to avoid inbreeding. INGA (International Network on Genetics in Aquaculture, organized by the World Fish Center, formerly ICLARM) helps to fulfill the above tasks in Southeast Asian and East European areas. There is some scope in fish genetics for increasing the disease resistance of carps by the development of resistant strains and hybrids.
Diseases and control: adverse changes in the natural environment, the increasing intensity of carp production in many areas, extensive inter-regional transport of common carp and other cyprinids, and the ban on using several traditional medicaments (fungicides, antibiotics and insecticides) call for the intensification of research on carp diseases. A relatively new and promising field of research is the development of immunostimulants, for increasing the natural resistance of fish. The development of vaccines seems to be the most promising solution for avoiding the application of antibiotics. Development and large-scale application of vaccines against viral diseases have primary importance to control 'traditional' viral diseases, such as the spring viremia, carp pox and viral gill necrosis. Large-scale introduction of vaccination against 'KHV' (which is actually a virus called Carp Nephritis and Gill Necrosis Virus, CNGNV) is also very important in the infected or endangered areas. The development of rapid diagnostic tools to determine the bacterial and viral infections is also necessary. Vigilance on parasitical diseases should be maintained. Research on better understanding of pre-conditioning environmental and technological factors, which make the fish less resistant and the pathogens more virulent, should also be continued.
Main issues
The effect of extensive carp farming on the environment is negligible or even positive, since the carp help to maintain aerobic bottom conditions. The environmental effect of semi-intensive polycultural carp farming depends on the intensity of production, and on the water quality of recipients. The accumulation of silt and organic material can be very high in integrated systems. However, the rotational use of land for fish-cum-duck and alfalfa and rice production is the most environmental friendly means of conducting aquaculture and agriculture. The effect of intensive (industrial) aquaculture systems on the environment depends on the efficiency of waste management.
The overstocking of open waters with carp and the introduction of non-indigenous carps may cause negative impacts. The population of aquatic weeds can be destroyed by increasing turbidity and uprooting plants. By decreasing the spawning grounds available for phytophil species, common carp may decrease the biodiversity in natural waters.
FAO. © 2005-2011. Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme. Oncorhynchus mykiss. Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme. Text by Cowx, I. G. In: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department [online]. Rome. Updated 15 June 2005. [Cited 12 September 2011]. http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Cyprinus_carpio/en
http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/marine_species/farmed_fish_and_shellfish/carp/index_en.htm