Grass Carp
An alien species that belongs to the Cypridae family. This species is native to East Asia from the Amur to Xi Jiang River. It is widely distributed around the world in more than 93 countries and is found in lakes, ponds and backwaters of large rivers, preferring large, slow-flowing or standing water bodies with vegetation. It is tolerant to a wide range of temperatures from 0-38 0C, and salinities as high as 10‰ and oxygen levels down to 0.5 mg/l. They feed upon higher aquatic plants and submerged grasses; takes also detritus, insects and other invertebrates. One of the world’s most important aquaculture species and also used for weed control in rivers, fish ponds and reservoirs. They spawn on riverbeds with very strong currents and are considered a pest in most countries because of the damages it causes to submerged vegetation. The species was introduced during the 1980’s into Macro Prespa from nearby fish farms.
