Cyprinus carpio - Carp

Common carp were introduced to the British Isles many centuries ago, probably by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, monks reared them for food, and some of the carp ponds associated with monasteries still exist today.

Carp usually feed by grubbing in the sediment for small worms, insects, leeches, moluscs and the like. By this means they can do great damage to natural lakes, and over-stocking with carp invariably results in the destruction of habitat that is needed by other species. But carp do sometimes feed in mid water on daphnia and will, on occasion, rise to take food morsels from the surface.

Cultivated 'King' carp can live for more than thirty years and grow to 50 lb (23 kg) in British waters. Redmire Pool on the Welsh-English border near Hereford has produced more 'record' carp than any other British fishery. The current British record, caught there by Chris Yates in 1980, weighed 51 lb 8 oz (approximately 23 kg).