Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis)

Description

Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) are native to eastern Asia and are one of four nonnative fish referred to as “invasive carp”. These fish are large, deep bodied fish that have a large head and a large toothless mouth with a protruding lower jaw. The bighead carp eyes are far forward and low on the head, projecting downward. The coloration of the body is dark gray, fading to white toward the underside with dark irregular blotches on the sides. They have a belly keel that extends from the vent to the base of the pevlic fins. They can grow up to nearly 5 feet in length and commonly reach 40 pounds with largest individual reaching over 100 pounds. Bighead carp were introduced to the southern United States in the 1970s to help aquaculture and wastewater treatment facilities keep retention ponds clean and to provide fresh fish for human consumption. The species first began to appear in, the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, in the early 1980s, likely as a result of escapes from aquaculture facilities. Bighead carp wild populations are established in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Bighead carp have also been reported in or stocked in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia, In 2011 Bighead carp was listed as “injurious” species under federal Lacey Act. The injurious wildlife listing means it is illegal to import or to transport live bighead carp, including viable eggs or hybrids of the species, across state lines, except by permit for zoological, education, medical, or scientific purposes.