Cyprinus carpio

This species has also been implicated in the decline of native fish in the United States and Mexico due to competition and egg predation.

There is also evidence that common carp prey on the eggs of other fish species (Moyle 1976; Taylor et al. 1984; Miller and Beckman 1996)

Negative impacts of this species are well-documented in peer-reviewed literature. The primary impacts ofthis species are habitat modification and reduction of the abundance of macrophytes and macroinvertebrates. When foraging for benthic organisms, this species uproots macrophytes and disturbs sediments. The resultant increase in turbidity and phosphorus loading promotes algal blooms, degrades water quality, prevents growth of macrophytes, and possibly causes effects on higher organisms.

This species has also been implicated in the decline of native fish in the United States and Mexico due to competition and egg predation.

This species has also been implicated in the decline of native fish in the United States and Mexico due to competition and egg predation.

A great deal of the common carp’s environmental impact is thought to come from indirect effects on habitat and the environment. For instance, in Mexico, populations of a native crayfish (Cambarellus montezumae) notably decreased with increasing carp density (Hinojosa-Garro and Zambrano 2004). However, further analysis indicated that C. carpio was not consuming the crayfish; rather, the destruction and depletion of crayfish habitat by common carp, particularly of algal species and macrophytes, were deemed to be the major mechanism of crayfish decline (Hinojosa-Garro and Zambrano 2004).