For centuries carp, an oily freshwater fish, were raised in ponds and lakes throughout Asia and Central Europeand were regarded as a main source of food. As the science of fish-farming evolved and developed, primarily inEurope, the appetite for carp as a table food diminshed, and trout and salmon, now raised in larger quantities, became highly prized replacements. Currently, carp is still raised in ponds and lakes inRussia and the Asian countries and is still consumed in large quantities, particularly inAsia as demand continues to grow and people still prefer the oily fish to sea-farmed salmon and tuna.
As a species, there are many varieties of the common carp, seen as a genetic off-shoot of three different varieties of carp. The notable traits of the common carp are the boney spurs that extendon its body and link to its ear canal to enable the carp to pick up vibrations in its environment and convert those vibrations into an acute sense of hearing.
Other common varieities of the carp are the prized ornamental fish, the goldfish and the Koi. Centuries ago inChina, carp were breed and rebred until the color of gold began to make its appearance. In the 15th century,China introduced the goldfish and the common carp toJapan and toEurope. And, the Japanese, through further cross-breeding produced the Koi. InJapan, the Koi is treated with affection and is a symbol of good-luck.
For many years, the common carp was regarded by the U.S. Department of Fisheries and by many state environmental agencies as a nuisance, non-native species that endangered other fish species and aquatic environments. That perception of the common carp is now changing, and the common carp is now seen as a highly prized sports fish that grows to large size and is very difficult to hook. Both in Europe, primarily the United Kingdom, and the U.S., this new view of the common carp as a challenging sport fish has led to revolutionary ideas about proper carp bait and boilies , a mixture of fish paste, milk protein, eggs, bird food, semolina and soy flour, boiled into a semi-hard ball, is seen as the ideal bait to catch the common carp.