Carp On The Dinner Plate

In lakes and rivers all over America swim carp. For most American's these bottom feeders have no place in our lakes or on our plates, but there are fisherman who see opportunity.

Carp are native to Eurasia. The common carp was brought to the west as early as the late 1800's as a reliable food source for people living in this region. Carp are an aggressive species that eat almost anything: fish eggs, insects, waterplants, seeds. Often times they stirr up so much sediment that sunlight can't penetrate the water. The fish can withstand extreme heat and cold, and can survive even with very poor water quality. A single adult female can produce a million eggs. They're kind of like the feral pig of the waterway.