Bighead carp

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Bighead carp

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Genus:	Hypophthalmichthys
Species:	H. nobilis

Binomial name

Hypophthalmichthys nobilis
(Richardson, 1845)

The bighead carp is a freshwater fish, one of several Asian carps. It is easily recognizable because of its size and large, scaleless head. Bighead carp are considered a highly invasive species.

Favoring temperate waters, the bighead occurs naturally in warm rivers and lakes. Carp are primarily filter feeders, eating mainly zooplankton. One of the larger carps, the bighead can grow to enormous sizes very quickly, making it a lucrative aquaculture fish. Its value as a food fish has caused it to be exported from its native China to many other countries. Today, the bighead is distributed nearly globally.

Bighead carp are considered a delicacy in many countries for their phenomenal taste--noted to be similar to that of chicken. When properly fried, the resemblance is astonishing. This is due to the fact that a bighead carp's primary food source is corn that falls into the river from nearby farms, and so its diet is much like a chicken's diet.

In the United States, the bighead was first introduced to aquaculture facilities to improve water quality. The fish's role as bottom feeders made them suitable for removing algae. However, due to flooding of their farms, bighead have escaped into the Illinois River where they are now firmly established.

Communities are attempting to contain the spread of the extremely invasive bighead carp. New York has banned the import and possession of live bighead; in Chicago, the fish may be stored live but must be killed before sale to the consumer.