196
W. Wohlfarth
ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION
The
common
carp
appears
to
have
criginated in central
Eurasia, from where it spread
naturally
east
to
Siberia
and
China
and
west
to
the
Danube
drainage basin
(lvasik,
1968;
Balon,
1974),
Its natural
distribution
appers
to
have
taken
place
in
the
last
post—glacial
period,
since
it
did
not
penetrate naturally to America via the Behring land bridge or to
the
British
Isles
(Nohlfarth,
1384).
Common
carp
is now present
in practically all of Eurasia, from Japan {Suzuki ÊË_ëln,
1976)
to
the
British
Isles
(North,
1835)
and
from
Siberia
{Kirpichnikov, 1971) to the Meditaranean (Bertram,
1946)…
It has
also
been
introduced to America
(Moyle, 1984), Australia (Anon,
1962)
and Africa
(Bardach et alu,
1972)“
DOMESTICATION
Different
races
of
the
common
carp evolved as a
result
of
differences
in
aquaculture managements in different geographic
The
traditional
management
techniques
practiced
in
China
and
Europe
are
understood
sufficiently to explain the
characteristics of
the
carp races
in
these
areas,
in
terms
of
adaptive
evolution
to the different environments
in which they
were
raised,
The
traditional
Chinese
aquaculture
system
consisted
of
high density polyculture with different species
of
Chinese
carpe.
The
number
of
common
carp per
unit area was
high
and
uncontrolled due to their spawning in these ponds, Little if
any
supplemental feed was used,
The
fish
subsisted
and
grew
largely
on
’natural
food‘,
stimulated
by heavy and frequent
manuring.
Other
nutrient
inputs consisted
largely
of
domestic
refuse.
The
ponds
were
drained
irregularly,
if
at
all»
Harvesting was carried out by
frequent
seining
and
selective
cropping
of
the
larger
individuals,the
smaller
ones
being
returned
to the ponds (Hoffmann,
1934;
Tang,
1970),
Brood stock,
consisting of carp left in the ponds, was continuously augmented
by fish from lakes and
rivers
(Hoffmann,
No
concioû$
selection was carried out
personal communication)«
In
Europe,
on
the
other
hand, methods of cultivating carp
included the use of
spawning ponds,
separate
raising
of
each
year
class, growing the fish at low stocking rates during their
second and third year and the use of
supplemental
feed
stuffâ
1961).
Harvesting was carried out at the end of summer by
draining the ponds and removing all the fish. Market
weight
°f
common
carp
in Europe is between 1.0 to
kg,
about 10 times
as
high as in China. Brood stock was selected
by
choosing
the
largest and highest backed individuals at harvesting.
_In Japan the traditional method of raising carp was in rice
padd1es (Suzuki, 1979), but this
was
discontinued
during
the
present
CEDËUIY1 due to the use of insecticides and herbicide5n
Carp are
now
grown
in
irrigation ponds, running water ponds
and
float1ng
cages.
The
influence
of
this
management
on
the
domest1cation of the Japanese carp is not clear.
W. Wohlfarth
ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION
The
common
carp
appears
to
have
criginated in central
Eurasia, from where it spread
naturally
east
to
Siberia
and
China
and
west
to
the
Danube
drainage basin
(lvasik,
1968;
Balon,
1974),
Its natural
distribution
appers
to
have
taken
place
in
the
last
post—glacial
period,
since
it
did
not
penetrate naturally to America via the Behring land bridge or to
the
British
Isles
(Nohlfarth,
1384).
Common
carp
is now present
in practically all of Eurasia, from Japan {Suzuki ÊË_ëln,
1976)
to
the
British
Isles
(North,
1835)
and
from
Siberia
{Kirpichnikov, 1971) to the Meditaranean (Bertram,
1946)…
It has
also
been
introduced to America
(Moyle, 1984), Australia (Anon,
1962)
and Africa
(Bardach et alu,
1972)“
DOMESTICATION
Different
races
of
the
common
carp evolved as a
result
of
differences
in
aquaculture managements in different geographic
The
traditional
management
techniques
practiced
in
China
and
Europe
are
understood
sufficiently to explain the
characteristics of
the
carp races
in
these
areas,
in
terms
of
adaptive
evolution
to the different environments
in which they
were
raised,
The
traditional
Chinese
aquaculture
system
consisted
of
high density polyculture with different species
of
Chinese
carpe.
The
number
of
common
carp per
unit area was
high
and
uncontrolled due to their spawning in these ponds, Little if
any
supplemental feed was used,
The
fish
subsisted
and
grew
largely
on
’natural
food‘,
stimulated
by heavy and frequent
manuring.
Other
nutrient
inputs consisted
largely
of
domestic
refuse.
The
ponds
were
drained
irregularly,
if
at
all»
Harvesting was carried out by
frequent
seining
and
selective
cropping
of
the
larger
individuals,the
smaller
ones
being
returned
to the ponds (Hoffmann,
1934;
Tang,
1970),
Brood stock,
consisting of carp left in the ponds, was continuously augmented
by fish from lakes and
rivers
(Hoffmann,
No
concioû$
selection was carried out
personal communication)«
In
Europe,
on
the
other
hand, methods of cultivating carp
included the use of
spawning ponds,
separate
raising
of
each
year
class, growing the fish at low stocking rates during their
second and third year and the use of
supplemental
feed
stuffâ
1961).
Harvesting was carried out at the end of summer by
draining the ponds and removing all the fish. Market
weight
°f
common
carp
in Europe is between 1.0 to
kg,
about 10 times
as
high as in China. Brood stock was selected
by
choosing
the
largest and highest backed individuals at harvesting.
_In Japan the traditional method of raising carp was in rice
padd1es (Suzuki, 1979), but this
was
discontinued
during
the
present
CEDËUIY1 due to the use of insecticides and herbicide5n
Carp are
now
grown
in
irrigation ponds, running water ponds
and
float1ng
cages.
The
influence
of
this
management
on
the
domest1cation of the Japanese carp is not clear.