COMMON NAME: Black Carp - Some other common names for black carp are snail carp, Chinese black carp, black amur, Chinese roach and black Chinese roach.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Mylopharyngodon piceus
The black carp is in the minnow and carp family, Cyprinidae. One of the black carp's distinguishing characteristics is its pharyngeal teeth and this is reflected in its scientific name. Its genus Mylopharyngodon is made up of the greek word "mylo" meaning "mill" plus the Greek word "pharynx" meaning "throat" and the Greek word "odous" meaning "teeth".

DISTRIBUTION: The black carp is natively found in eastern Asia from the Pearl River basin in China to the Amur River. It can be also be found in the tributaries of these rivers in China and eastern Russia, as well as northern Vietnam. Currently black carp can be found in the United States in hatcheries and fish farm ponds, but there are reports of escaped individuals. There were reports of escaped individuals in Missouri, in Illinois near the confluence of the Mississippi River and in the Ohio River, and Louisiana.

DESCRIPTION: The body of the black carp is elongate and compressed laterally. It has a terminal mouth for bottom feeding. The scales of this fish are very large and have black tips giving it the appearance of cross-hatching. Its fins are blackish gray and the dorsal fin is above the pelvic fins. The black carp looks very similar to the grass carp. The way to distinguish between the two is the pharyngeal teeth. On black carp the teeth appear molar-like, where as the grass carp's teeth have deep parallel grooves in them. Black carp can reach a maximum length of 5 feet, a maximum weight of 150 lbs. and a maximum age of 15 years.

PATHWAYS/HISTORY: Black carp originally arrived in the United States mistakenly in shipments of grass carp. Now black carp are found in research facilities, and fish farms in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas. This fish was introduced into farm ponds first for control of yellow grub, then as a food fish. The first report of escaped black carp came from an aquaculture facility in Missouri when the Osage River flooded the hatchery ponds.

DISPERSAL/SPREAD: In 1994 a research facility in Missouri reported the escape of 30 or more black carp into the Osage River drainage when it flooded. These were reportedly triploid fish that couldn't reproduce. It was not until 2003 when the first report of a black carp found in the wild came in. It was captured in Horseshoe Lake in Illinois. Then in 2004 another report came in from the Red River in Louisiana. These specimens are likely escapees from fish farm ponds.

MANAGEMENT: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in the process of getting the black carp on the list of injurious fish species. This would prohibit the importation and interstate transport of the fish. If an established population would be found in the wild it would be almost impossible to eradicate. Sterilization is an option, but even sterile black carp still pose an ecological risk. A sterile adult can live for 15 years and eat 3 to 4 pounds of mollusks a day. Chemical treatment would be the best option but chemicals are expensive and they harm other fish as well. What we can do now is try to prevent the black carp from escaping into the wild.

SPECIAL INTEREST: To help stop the spread of black carp a person should not transfer bait from the body of water it was caught in to other bodies of water. You should always dispose of unused bait in a trashcan and not release them into the water. If you find a black carp in waters where it isn't already contact your state Department of Natural Resources for further instructions on what you can do.

LIFE CYCLE BIOLOGY AND LIFE HISTORY: The black carp is a freshwater fish that likes lakes and the bottom of fast moving rivers. They mature at 6 to 11 years of age, after this they reproduce annually. When the water temperature reaches 65.5 degrees F., the water level rises, and there is plenty of food is when the black carp will spawn. They spawn upstream and their eggs travel downstream. A fully mature female black carp is capable of producing 129,000 to 1.18 million eggs each year. When young they feed on zooplankton and fingerlings. As adults their feeding habits change to mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic insects and fish eggs. They have powerful teeth that enable them to crush the shells eat the soft parts and spit the shell out. A 4-year-old black carp is able to eat 3 to 4 lbs of mussels per day.

RISKS/IMPACTS: The black carp would negatively affect ecosystems by competing with native fishes, turtles, birds and even mammals such as raccoons, otters and muskrats for food. They have the potential to devastate native mussel populations due to the fact that the black carp relies so heavily on them as part of its diet. Most of Indiana 's mussels are on our threatened and endangered species list and with the black carp's ability to eat 3 to 4 lbs of them a day it is a main concern of managers. In ecosystems where snails play an important role by grazing algae there could be problems. The black carp could reduce the snail population to the point where algae mats could develop and disrupt the habitat. Another major risk that the black carp pose is that it is host to many parasites, flukes, bacteria and viral diseases. These could infect and kill our native fish species. Humans will also be affected if the black carp becomes established. The fish will inevitably reduce the biodiversity of our waters and that reduces the aesthetic, recreational, and economic values of them as well.

REFERENCES:
- Black Carp: Invasive Species Program. July 2002. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. June 17, 2004.
- Crosier, Danielle M., and Daniel P. Mollox. Mylopharyngodon piceus-Black Carp. Army Corps. Of
  Engineers. May 27, 2004.
- Nico, Leo and Pam Fuller. Mylopharyngodon piceus. May 5, 2004. USGS. May 27, 2004.
- Seng, Phil, and Gwen White. Indiana Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan. Oct. 1, 2003.
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources. May 27, 2004.
- United States. Department of the Interior. July 30, 2002. Federal Register:Injurious Wildlife
- Species; Black Carp. May 27, 2004.