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.
Comments
One Comment on Why No Love for the Hudson River Carp?
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Bill Greene on
Mon, 9th Jan 2012 11:23 pm
1/9/12
Specifically because there are carp and channel catfish in the Hudson River , I regulary fish the River. Carp are a great resource – available all seasons, grow big, and can be caught from shore with reasonably- priced tackle and ordinary bait. I release them.
I’m glad to see the channel cats also increasing in numbers and size. What I say about the carp, goes ditto for the cats.
Terrific recreational resources – both.
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