Asian carp

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are several species of fish known as Asian carp. Five of these have been imported to the United States:

All five species have been cultivated in aquaculture in China for over 1,000 years. Grass, silver, bighead and black carps are known as the "Four Domesticated Fish" in China and are the most important freshwater fish species for food and Chinese medicine. Common carp, on the other hand, is cultivated mainly as pet fish.

However, in the United States, some species of carp are becoming known as invasive species.

Common carp was brought to the U.S. in 1831, and has been widespread for a long time. Three varieties—grass carp, silver carp, and bighead carp—have escaped from aquaculture ponds that flooded since 1990. Black carp have not yet been detected outside of ponds where they are being bred. The most dramatic rise has been in the population of bighead carp.

Silver carp have become notorious for being easily frightened by boats and personal watercraft. The fish can jump 8–10 feet (2.5–3 m) into the air, and several people have been injured by them. They can grow to 40 pounds (18 kg) in mass. Bighead carp can grow even bigger.

There is a long tradition of carps in Chinese culture and literature. A popular lyric circulating as early as two thousand years ago in the late Han period includes an anecdote which relates how a man far away from home sent back to his wife a pair of carp (Liyu), in which when the wife opened the fish to cook was found a silk strip that carried a love note of just two lines: “Eat well to keep fit” (first line) and “Missing you and forget me not” (second line).

The fish's jumping feature is set in such a proverbial idiom as "Liyu (Carp) jumps over the Dragon Gate," an idiom that conveys a vivid image symbolizing a sudden uplifting in one's social status, as when one ascends into the upper society or has found favor with the royal or a noble family through success in civil examination or through marriage. This symbolic image, as well as the image of carp itself, has been one of the most popular themes in Chinese paintings, especially those of popular styles. The fish is usually colored in gold or pink color, shimmering with an unmistakably auspicious tone. One of the well-known scenic spots in Hangchow is a big fish pond which has been alive with hundreds of carps of various colors. A three-character inscription, “Yu-Le-Guo” meaning Fish’s paradise, set above one end of the pond is the calligraphy of a famous gentry-scholar of the late Ming Dynasty named Dong Qichang. Many tourists feed the fish with bread crumbs for fun.

Among the various kinds of carp, the big-head and the black ones are cheaper. The grass carp is still a main delicacy in Hangchow cuisine. Restaurants along the West Lake of the city keep the fish in cages placed under the lake water right in front of the restaurant and on an order from a customer will dash a live fish on the pavement to kill it before cooking. The fish is normally served with a sour-sweet sauce and tastes pretty good.

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