Carp Fish and Effects on the Aquatic Environment

Abstract

These findings highlight the importance of developing a strategic environmental view of fish culture, to establish the carrying capacity of the aquatic environment and adopt suitable farming practices. In addition, site-specific management approaches could benefit nature conservation actions on a local scale. This research furthers overall understanding of the relationship between fish culture and the ecological health of inland water bodies, contributing to the systematization of ecological knowledge in the growing field of aquaculture environmental science.

The aim of this work is to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the impact carp breeding has on the aquatic environment, emphasizing an ecological perspective. The aquaculture sector, and in particular carp farming, is putting increasing pressure on the ecological health of inland water bodies, as the input (nutrients) is higher than the natural capacity of eutrophic lakes and reservoirs to buffer and cleanse the excessive levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter. The results show that extensive carp farming depletes dissolved oxygen during the night, which may threaten the survival of oxygen-sensitive native fish species. Furthermore, carp are an invasive species that alter nutrient cycling, affect aquatic vegetation structure, nutrient and sediment cycling, and plankton composition. Although these effects are undesirable in the context of nature conservation, they can also have a regulating effect, reducing the high phytoplankton levels in hypertrophic standing waters.