Carp: The oldest farmed fish in the world

When people mention carp, they will think of the Yellow River carp, one of the four famous fish in ancient my country, as well as the famous ornamental fish: red carp, mirror carp, and many farmed varieties. However, most people don’t know that carp is actually one of the freshwater fish species with the most varieties, the widest distribution, the longest farming history, and the highest yield.

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Wow, the carp, which usually doesn’t show up in public, actually has such a big name!

Approaching carp

Carp belongs to the Cypriniformes order, Cyprinidae family, Cyprininae subfamily, Cyprinidae genus. Commonly known as carp, hairy carp, carp, and carp. The body is flat on the sides and round on the abdomen, with a slight bulge behind the head. The mouth is terminal and horseshoe-shaped. There are two pairs of whiskers, and the jaw whiskers are longer than the snout whiskers. The main row of hypopharyngeal teeth is molar-shaped. The base of the dorsal fin is long, and both the dorsal and anal fins have a thick and serrated hard spine. The scales are large, the back of the body is gray-black, the sides of the body are blue-gray with golden yellow, the abdomen is gray-white, and the anal fin and the lower lobe of the tail fin are orange-yellow.

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Carp usually live in the lower layers of water bodies with soft bottom and dense aquatic plants. They swim slowly in winter and hibernate in the bottom of deep water. Carp is not a delicate fish. It has strong adaptability to the water environment and can tolerate cold, alkali and lack of oxygen. Adult carp is an omnivorous fish that mainly feeds on bottom-dwelling mollusks, while juvenile carp mainly feeds on large zooplankton.

Most carps reach sexual maturity at the age of one, and their reproductive period varies with the region where they grow. In the Pearl River Basin, spawning begins in late February or early March due to the warm climate; in the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins, spawning is concentrated in April and May; in the Northeast, which is relatively cold, spawning begins in June. Spawning grounds are mostly in shallow waters with dense aquatic plants in river bays or lake branches, and the eggs adhere to the aquatic plants for development. After reproduction, the broodstock enter the fattening period.

Carp: My ancestors were glorious!

Carp is the earliest farmed fish in the world. According to historical records, pond farming began in the Shang Dynasty. According to the Book of Songs, King Wen of Zhou dug a pond to raise carp. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Fan Li, a minister of the State of Yue, strongly advocated the development of pond farming of carp. He believed that "raising carp for three years can bring a profit of tens of millions, and the State of Yue will be prosperous." In ancient China, there was a folk proverb that "raising fish and planting bamboo can bring a thousand times the profit", which has been passed down to this day. In the Zhou Dynasty, carp had become one of the most precious foods. King Xuan of Zhou defeated Yanyun and won a banquet for the princes with "wrapped turtle slices and carp sashimi". In the Book of Songs, there is "If they eat fish, they must be carp from the river..."

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According to legend, Confucius had a son, and Duke Zhao of Lu gave him a carp. To express his gratitude for the gift, Confucius named his son Li, with the courtesy name Bo Yu. Mencius once said, "I want fish, and I also want bear's paw, but I cannot have both." Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty believed that carp was "the best of all fish and the most delicious food." By the Han Dynasty more than 2,200 years ago, carp breeding in ponds was already very popular. From the royal family to the landlords, carp breeding was operated, and it gradually developed from self-sufficiency to commercial production.

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Later, carp was always regarded as a top-quality fish. The poet Yang Ji wrote in his poem: "The spring breeze blows the rain and wets the dress, the green water and red makeup are not as good as the painting, but it is the girl on the Hanyang River, crossing the river to buy Wuchang fish." In the Huanghuai area, there is a proverb: "No old carp, no feast." The ancients also used carp as a substitute for letters. The ancient Yuefu "Drinking Horses at the Great Wall Cave" has: "A guest came from afar and left me two carps; I called the boy to cook the carps, and there was a letter in it."

The custom of sending carp to relatives and friends during festivals is still preserved as a sign of respect and congratulations. Carp is regarded as a symbol of diligence, kindness, loyalty and auspiciousness. New Year paintings depicting carp as a symbol of good fortune are everywhere, and the myth of "carp jumping over the dragon gate" and the story of "chasing fish" are widely spread among the people.

Why did the “Carp Family” decline after jumping over the dragon gate?

However, even the glorious carp can have its downfalls.

In the Tang Dynasty, the emperor's surname was Li, and "Li" and "Li" have the same pronunciation, so the carp jumped onto the Dragon Gate and became a symbol of the royal family. The talisman used by the court was also carved into the shape of a carp. The emperor gave carp-shaped jade pendants to his ministers to show his honor.

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Therefore, "raising carp", "catching carp", "selling carp" and "eating carp" became the biggest taboos of the royal family, and violators would be severely punished. Tang Dynasty law stipulated that caught carp must be released immediately, and anyone who sold it would be fined 60 strokes of the cane. During the 300 years of the Tang Dynasty, fish farmers had to find other breeding targets and gradually found the most ideal breeding fish - the "four major carps" of silver carp, grass carp, bighead carp and black carp. After the Tang Dynasty, carp breeding was obviously restored, but because carp grows slowly, it can only play a supporting role.

Conclusion

Today, with the rapid development of bioengineering technology, especially the birth of fast-growing genetically modified carp, the growth rate of carp has increased and the taste has become more delicious, which has brought carp back to the center of people's vision. In addition to being eaten and appreciated, carp has become a symbol in the eyes of Chinese people, embodying the yearning for a better life and containing a strong Chinese sentiment.

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Editor: Sun Chenyu

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Author: Life Pulse Team

Producer: China Science Expo