Bighead Carp | National Invasive Species Information Center

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Bighead carp, adult - Photo by U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Name:

Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (Richardson, 1845) (ITIS)

Common Name:

Bighead carp

Native To:

China (NAS Database)

Date of U.S. Introduction:

1973 (NAS Database)

Means of Introduction:

Imported for aquaculture and for phytoplankton control (NAS Database)

Impact:

Impacts not adequately known, but may "lead to reductions in populations of native species that rely on plankton for food, including all larval fishes, some adult fishes, and native mussels" (NAS Database)

Spotlights

Michigan and Illinois Sign Agreement to Advance Invasive Carp Prevention Project at Brandon Road Lock and Dam (Jan 7, 2021)

Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The governors of Illinois and Michigan today agreed to work jointly to protect the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp species. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Gov. JB Pritzker today announced an intergovernmental agreement between the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) which allows Illinois to use up to $8 million in funds appropriated in 2018 by the Michigan Legislature to support the pre-construction engineering and design (PED) phase of the Brandon Road Ecosystem Project. Further strengthening the path forward, the State of Illinois also signed a separate PED agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the initial Brandon Road design. The state will serve as the non-federal sponsor, agreeing to help fund design of a portion of the project and to further advance full project design efforts to approximately 30 percent completion.

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam in the Chicago Area Waterway System near Joliet, Illinois, is a critical pinch point for keeping bighead, silver and black carp – the invasive Asian carp species of greatest concern – out of the Great Lakes. The Brandon Road project would install layered technologies including an electric barrier, underwater sound, an air bubble curtain and a flushing lock in a newly engineered channel designed to prevent invasive carp movement while allowing barge passage.

NOAA Researchers Model Risk of Asian Carp Invasion in Lake Huron (Apr 30, 2020)

DOC. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

New research by NOAA and partners finds that two species of invasive Asian carp -- the bighead carp and silver carp, collectively known as bigheaded carps -- could be capable of establishing populations in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron and affecting the health of ecologically and economically important fish species such as yellow perch. The research, appearing online in the journal Biological Invasions, is based on a new model that simulates interactions between the bigheaded carps and a range of fish species, including walleye, yellow perch, and groups lower on the food web over a time period of 50 years. Over 180 non-indigenous aquatic species have already become established in the Great Lakes, with a handful of these producing substantial negative impacts. While bigheaded carps are established in watersheds near the Great Lakes, they have not yet become established in the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes Sea Grant Network Releases Comprehensive Report on Asian Carp (Nov 2, 2017)

Ohio State University. Ohio Sea Grant College Program.

The Great Lakes Sea Grant Network has released a comprehensive and coordinated outreach and education report on Asian carp in the region. The document includes information on carp life history, movement and behavior, monitoring, control, ecosystem impacts and gaps in current knowledge that need to be addressed further. The plan’s development was funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee. The final report can be downloaded here (PDF | 5.6 MB).

Bighead Carp Added to Federal List of Injurious Wildlife (Mar 21, 2011)

DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule in the Mar 22 Federal Register officially adding the bighead carp to the federal injurious wildlife list. The final rule codifies the Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act (S. 1421), signed into law by President Obama on Dec 14, 2010. The injurious wildlife listing means that under the Lacey Act it is illegal to import or to transport live bighead carp, including viable eggs or hybrids of the species, across state lines, except by permit for zoological, education, medical, or scientific purposes.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database: Point Map - Bighead Carp

DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Federally Regulated

Injurious Wildlife

DOI. FWS. Fish and Aquatic Conservation.

Includes species listed as injurious wildlife under the Federal Lacey Act (18 USC 42), which makes it illegal to import injurious wildlife into the United States or transport between the listed jurisdictions in the shipment clause (the continental United States, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any possession of the United States) without a permit. An injurious wildlife listing would not prohibit intrastate transport or possession of that species within a State where those activities are not prohibited by the State.

Injurious wildlife are wild mammals, wild birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes, crustaceans, mollusks and their offspring or eggs that are injurious to the interests of human beings, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, wildlife or wildlife resources of the U.S. Plants and organisms other than those stated above cannot be listed as injurious wildlife.
See also: Injurious Wildlife: A Summary of the Injurious Provisions of the Lacey Act (Dec 2017; PDF | 401 KB)

Images

Asian Carp Photos

Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee; Flickr.

Google Images - Bighead carp

Google.

Invasive.org - Bighead carp

University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Videos

YouTube - Midwest Battles to Keep Invasive Asian Carp Out of the Great Lakes (Jan 2019)

Google. YouTube. PBS NewsHour.

Asian Carp Photos and Videos

Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Bighead Carp.

Council or Task Force

Fact Sheet: Bighead Carp (Apr 2016) (PDF | 610 KB)

Alberta Invasive Species Council (Canada).

See also: Fact Sheets for more information about individual invasive species, including those listed as "Prohibited Noxious" and "Noxious" under the Alberta Weed Control Act

Priority Species: Asian Carp

Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Washington Invasive Species Council.

Partnership

Asian Carp Control

Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee.

Global Invasive Species Database - Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (fish)

World Conservation Union. Invasive Species Specialist Group.

Invaders Factsheet: Asian Carps

Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program (Canada).

Invasive Species Compendium - Aristichthys nobilis

CAB International.

New York Invasive Species Information - Asian Carp

New York Invasive Species Clearinghouse.

Texas Invasives Database - Hypophthalmichthys nobilis

TexasInvasives.org.

The Quiet Invasion: A Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area - Grass Carp; Bighead Carp; Silver Carp; Black Carp; Goldfish; Koi

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Galveston Bay Estuary Program; Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC).

Federal Government

Facts about Invasive Bighead and Silver Carp (May 2010)

DOI. USGS. Columbia Environmental Research Center.

Asian Carp in Southeastern Waters

DOI. FWS. Southeast Region.

Fisheries Program - Asian Carp

DOI. FWS. Midwest Region.

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area - Asian Carp Overview

DOI. National Park Service.

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database: Fact Sheet - Bighead Carp

DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.

Provides distribution maps and collection information (State and County).

International Government

Identify an Aquatic Invasive Species: Asian Carp

Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

State and Local Government

Freshwater Aquatic Invasive Species in Rhode Island - Asian Carp (Sep 2017) (PDF | 1.07 MB)

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Office of Water Resources.

See also: Aquatic Invasive Animals for species of concern

Pest Risk Assessment for Asian Carps in Oregon (Dec 15, 2009) (PDF | 90 KB)

Oregon State Library. Oregon Documents Repository.

Prepared by: Portland State University, Center for Lakes and Reservoirs

Asian Carp Control Efforts

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Asian Carp in Alabama

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Asian Carp in Ohio

Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

California's Invaders: Bighead Carp

California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Field Guide: Invasive - Bighead Carp

Missouri Department of Conservation.

Fisheries Management - Asian Carp Information

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Academic

New York Sea Grant Fact Sheet - Asian Carp: Threats to the Lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River (2011) (PDF | 360 KB)

New York Sea Grant.

AIS in Minnesota - Asian Carp

University of Minnesota. Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center.

Citations

Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Hypophthalmichthys nobilis. [Accessed Jan 11, 2016].
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database. Fact Sheet - Bighead Carp. USGS, Gainesville, FL. [Accessed Sep 16, 2014].