Grass Carp Identification
A native of China and Russia, the grass carp came to America in 1963 as a means to control unwanted aquatic vegetation in ponds. The grass carp’s diet is almost all plant matter, with the fish able to consume its own weight in plants every day. The grass carp differs from its cousin, the common carp, in some ways.
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Size
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The grass carp may get to weights in the 100-lb. range under ideal circumstances, but the average grass carp will not approach such size. Although the fish grows rapidly, often weighing more than 10 lbs. in as short a period as two years, the average grass carp will be in the 10- to 20-lb. range. The grass carp’s maximum size is about 40 inches, with the average in the 15- to 20-inch range.
Form and Color
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The body of the grass carp has a shape like a sleek torpedo. The scales that cover the body are large, but on the head, no scales exist. The grass carp’s color may be silver on its sides, with an olive sheen on the back and a shade of white on the underbelly. The “National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fishes” says the fins of a grass carp have a “dusky” look to them.
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Teeth
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Carp species, including the grass carp, lack teeth in their jaws. The carp is able to eat by using a set of teeth that resemble molars located further back in its mouth, at the entrance to the throat. Called pharyngeal teeth, these teeth can chew the vegetation the grass carp is able to procure using its lips and mouth.
Grass Carp Vs. Common Carp
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The common carp has obvious appendages (barbels) that hang down from the region of the mouth. Grass carp have no such features. The grass carp also does not have the hard, spiny rays that a common carp owns on the front edge of its anal fin and its dorsal fin. Grass carp are more slender in appearance than the common carp; grass carp do not make a muddy mess in the water rooting around for food the way a common carp will.
Considerations
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The grass carp occurs in the lakes, ponds and river systems of many states. This results from the fish escaping from the ponds that people put them in to control the vegetation. The female grass carps will lay a myriad of eggs, with the species then establishing populations in the wild. Many states have regulations concerning the grass carp, with permits required to have grass carp. The grass carp is of little value as a sport fish and, once established in a wild setting, the fish can destroy ecosystems with its eating habits.
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