Why No Love for the Hudson River Carp?
Hudson River carp are nonindigenous, and can potentially harm native species and plants in the waters. This is because they are extremely active when spawning. They turn up lots of sediment with all their spawning movement, and also pull up small native plants growing on riverbed bottoms. In fact, carp don’t even like clear fresh water. They like their water to be murky, like the Hudson River. Carp are considered a nuisance fish, and they are not eaten, in general.
It wasn’t always like this, however. From the 1830s to around just after the Civil War, people in the United States farmed and ate carp. US governmental agencies even distributed carp throughout the country and territories for this reason. See our page on Hudson River carp, where are they from? Then it was discovered that carp destroyed native species and habitat, and also they were extremely abundant. This caused people to view carp as a nuisance. It was shortly after that that people gradually stopped eating them.
The fact that scientists find carp to enjoy sewage runoff areas of rivers, as well as waters where there is agricultural runoff, does not add to the palatability of carp!
They destroy breeding grounds of native fish like carpsuckers, buffalos, and Sacramento perch Archoplites interruptus. All in all, the Hudson River carp has a pretty nasty reputation and character, but lots of fun to fish for because of their size.
Where are Hudson River Carp From?
Hudson river carp fishing is fun because carp can be some of the largest fish in the river. The record caught was just over 50 pounds, back in 1995.
Of course, we all know that carp are not native to the Hudson River, or even to the United States. Hudson River carp are native to Ukraine and Russia, and Caspian and Aral Seas, but carp found in the Hudson were introduced in the early 1800s, from Asia.
What do Carp Like?
Carp like lakes, ponds and slow areas of rivers, which are usually the lower areas of rivers. They also like brackish water, which may explain why there are so many Hudson river carp. Carp also like areas of water where there is either sewage or slaughterhouse runoff. Needless to say, don’t eat the carp!
Back in the Day, They Used to Eat Carp
But in the 1800s carp were originally stocked in farm ponds for food. They would escape during flood events or dam breakages. US agencies throughout the 1800s would regularly stock water areas all over the US, even dropping them out of railroad cars at stream crossings. Nowadays, carp are distributed by the practice of using juvenile carp used as baitfish, who then get away.