COMMON NAME: Silver Carp
Silver carp may also be referred to as flying carp because of their tendency to jump from the water when disturbed.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hypophthalmic molitrix
Silver carp is in the family Cyprinidae, the minnow and carp family. The genus Hypophthalmic is made up of the Greek word “hypo” meaning “under”, the Greek word “ophthalmos” meaning “eye” and the Greek word “ichthys” meaning “fish”. The silver carp was first named by Valenciennes in 1844.

DISTRIBUTION: The silver carp’s native range includes the major Pacific drainages in eastern Asia from the Amur River in Russia to the Pearl River in China. Its current United States distribution includes Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Tennessee.
Indiana: In Indiana silver carp have been found in the Wabash River south of Lafayette and along the Ohio River, as well as the West Fork of the White River.

DESCRIPTION: The silver carp is a deep-bodied fish that is laterally compressed. They are a very silvery color when young and when they get older they fade from a greenish color to silver. They have very tiny scales except the head and the opercle that are scaleless. They have a large mouth without any teeth in the jaw but they have pharyngeal teeth. Its eyes are situated far forward on the midline of the body and are slightly turned up. The max total length of a silver carp is 3.5 feet and the max weight is 100 pounds. The silver carp most similarly resembles the bighead carp but the silver lacks any small irregular dark blotches like the big head and the silver carp has fused gill rakers that are sponge-like.

PATHWAYS/HISTORY: First introduced into the United States in 1973 a fish farmer used silver carp in his Arkansas ponds to control the levels of phytoplankton. By the end of the 1970’s some state, federal and private facilities as well as sewage lagoons had been stocked with silver carp. It didn’t take long for silver carp to be detected in natural waters. In 1980 individuals were found in natural waters. Silver carp can be found in the natural waters of Alabama, Arizona, in the Mississippi River mainstream in Arkansas, in the Mississippi and Ohio River systems in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, in the Mississippi River from Louisiana, Missouri, and from the Missouri River to Nebraska, South Dakota to Tennessee.

DISPERSAL/SPREAD: The silver carp was purposely introduced into farm ponds to control phytoplankton as well as a food fish. It was soon stocked in other facilities that included sewage lagoons. It is believed that the silver carp found in natural waters are escapees from aquaculture facilities. Some are also thought to have entered our water as contaminant fish in grass carp stocks. Populations in Hawaii and in Colorado were intentionally released. They are now established in Louisiana and in Illinois.

MANAGEMENT: To control the silver carp it has been suggested that they be added to the federal list of injurious species. This would prohibit silver carp imports as well as interstate transport without proper permits. The fear that these fish could make their way into the Great Lakes and interrupt the $4 billion fishing industry has prompted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Illinois to build an electronic barrier to stop the spread of the carp. Agencies still need to educate the public about how to identify invasive species as to stop the accidental release of exotics like the silver carp.

SPECIAL INTEREST: By learning to identify silver carp and educating yourself on their ecological and economical impacts is a start to help stop their spread. You can also help by practicing a few good techniques for stopping the spread of any aquatic nuisance species. Never empty your bait bucket into a different body of water from where you obtained your bait. Dispose of unused bait in the trash rather than in the water. If you find a silver carp in waters different from what they are already known to be in contact your state Department of Natural Resources.

LIFE CYCLE BIOLOGY AND LIFE HISTORY: Silver carp are filter feeders that eat phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria, detritus and they graze aquatic vegetation. They live in freshwaters that are standing or slow flowing. After 3 years they are mature enough to breed and will breed until their max age of 10 years old. Spawning occurs anytime between April and September when the temperature is between 18-20 degrees Celsius. They migrate up stream to breed in groups of 15 to 20. They need water with some current so the eggs and larvae can float downstream. The silver carp swim just below the waters surface and are often disturbed by boat motors and will jump from the water when startled. They have been cultured around the world and in many countries are relied on heavily as a food source.

RISKS/IMPACTS: When the silver carp’s population numbers become large enough, they have the ability to cause damage native species due to the fact that they feed on phytoplankton. This competes with larval fish, mussels and some adult fish that rely on phytoplankton for food. The adult paddlefish, gizzard shad and bigmouth buffalo will be affected if silver carp become established in their waters. Silver carp will jump from the water when disturbed and this behavior is a hazard to people in boats. There have been reports of boaters being injured, some seriously due to the jumping silver carp. Also this new species could bring with it diseases that our native fish can’t survive.

REFERENCES:
- Agbayani, Eli. Hypophthalmic molitrix: Silver Carp. 5 June 2004. Fishbase. 22 June 2004.
- Asian Carp. 11 Nov. 2002. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 27 May 2004.
- Asian Carp: Key To Identification. 15 Nov. 2002. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 27 May 2004.
- Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes, 1844). 21 Nov. 2003. Gulf States Marine Fisheries
  Commission. 22 June 2004.
- Meersman, Tom. “Invaded waters.” 13 June 2004. Star Tribune.com. 16 June 2004.
- Meersman, Tom. “Invaded waters: A sea of red tape.” 15 June 2004. Star Tribune.com. 16 June
  2004.
- Nico, Leo. Hypophthalmic molitrix. 3 Oct. 2003. USGS. 27 May 2004.
- Seng, Phil, and Gwen White. Indiana Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan. 1 Oct. 2003.
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources. 27 May 2004.
- Stein, Dr. Roy. "GLFC on Silver Carp." 18 Sept. 2003. Great Lakes Fishery Commission. 27 May
  2003.