Common Carp Population Characteristics in the Upper Mississippi River Basin

Common Carp Cyprinus carpio were introduced to the United States from Europe. Introductions were to be utilized as an additional food source, but after flooding and subsequent connection with river systems, their numbers increased and range expanded. Common Carp are adaptable and can survive in a large array of environmental conditions.  Additionally, Common Carp have the ability to impose negative effects on the benthic community.  Despite this, Common Carp populations have been infrequently analyzed.  Thus, the objectives of this study were to assess the relative influence Common Carp pose on native fishes and evaluate the population characteristics of common carp in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.  Based on our results, Common Carp exhibit the greatest total overall biomass and appear to have a stable population within the Upper Mississippi River Basin.  Given the relatively high biomass and long life span, the effects on the benthic community could be substantial.  We suggest future research should evaluate resource overlap between Common Carp and native fishes.  Additionally, harvest simulation modeling will be conducted to determine how much harvest would be needed to control the population to help alleviate negative effects Common Carp have on native fishes.