Fishery Resources, Environment, and Conservation in the Mississippi and Yangtze (Changjiang) River Basins

Bigheaded Carps of the Yangtze and Mississippi Rivers: Biology, Status, and Management

Duane C. Chapman, Daqing Chen, Jan Jeffrey Hoover, Hao Du, Quinton E. Phelps, Li Shen, Chenyou Wang, Qiwei Wei, and Hui Zhang

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874448.ch6

Abstract.—Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and Silver Carp H. molitrix are native in the Yangtze River and extremely important economically and culturally as food fishes; however, the two species have declined due to overfishing and anthropogenic modifications to hydrology and water quality. Bighead Carp and Silver Carp were imported to North America in the early 1970s, escaped confinement, and have now become undesirable and problematic invasive species. The two carps have become the most abundant fish species in many portions of their invaded range, which continues to expand. We compare the biology, status, and management of these species between their natal range in the Yangtze River and their invaded habitats of the Mississippi River basin.