Black Carp | National Invasive Species Information Center

View all resources

Black carp - Photo by U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Name:

Mylopharyngodon piceus (Richardson, 1846) (ITIS)

Common Name:

Black carp

Native To:

Asia (NAS Database)

Date of U.S. Introduction:

Early 1970s (NAS Database)

Means of Introduction:

First introduced as a "contaminant" in imported grass carp stocks; later introduced as a food fish and biological control agent (NAS Database)

Impact:

Presumed to "negatively impact native aquatic communities by feeding on, and reducing, populations of native mussels and snails, many of which are considered endangered or threatened" (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.

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).

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database: Point Map - Black 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 - Black carp

Google.

Invasive.org - Black 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.

YouTube - Black Carp Identification

Google. YouTube; DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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 Black Carp.

Council or Task Force

Fact Sheet: Black Carp (Jan 2018) (PDF | 1.26 MB)

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.

Invaders Factsheet: Asian Carps

Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program (Canada).

Invasive Species Compendium - Mylopharyngodon piceus

CAB International.

New York Invasive Species Information - Asian Carp

New York Invasive Species Clearinghouse.

Texas Invasives Database - Mylopharyngodon piceus

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

Black Carp (Jul 2002) (PDF | 449 KB)

DOI. FWS. Invasive Species Program.

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 - Black 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.

Black Carp in Indiana

Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

See also: Invasive Species for exotic animal and plant pests invading Indiana, causing economic and visual damage

California's Invaders: Black Carp

California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Field Guide: Invasive - Black Carp

Missouri Department of Conservation.

Academic

Factsheet: Asian Carp

Pennsylvania State University. Pennsylvania Sea Grant.

See also: Aquatic Invasive Species: Resources for additional species information

Professional

Asian Carp

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council (Michigan).

Exotic Species - Asian Carp

Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Fisheries Management.

Citations

Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Mylopharyngodon piceus. [Accessed Jan 16, 2016].
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database. Fact Sheet - Black Carp. USGS, Gainesville, FL. [Accessed Sep 16, 2014].