Iowa Fish Atlas: Bighead carp-Hypophthalmichthys nobilis

Native: No

State Rank: S?

ITIS Code: 163692

National Rank: NNA

Global Rank: G5

Modeled By: Anna Loan-Wilsey

State Range:

The bighead carp was originally introduced in Arkansas in 1973 (Freeze and Henderson 1982). By 1982, it was present in the Missouri sections of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers where it is now widely distributed and well established (Pflieger 1997). The bighead carp was first recorded in Iowa in the late 1990’s. Found in both the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, it has also been documented in the Big Sioux River, in the Des Moines River below Red Rock dam and considered to be quite numerous in the Chariton River below Rathbun dam (IowaDNR 2004).

Habitat Affinities:

The bighead carp is comes from the big rivers of China (Yangtze and Huang Ho) so it has adapted well to the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Using gill rakers to filter plankton and detritus (Pflieger 1997) the bighead carp is able to easily adapt to various environments. Both young and adults prefer the lower reaches of tributary streams and overflow waters in the river floodplain. Large concentrations of bighead chubs have been observed in the tailwaters of several impoundments (IowaDNR 2004; Pflieger 1997).

Predictive Model(s):

Statewide Model: Range Only

The distribution is based upon existing collection records and professional review.

Mississippi River Model:

The distribution is based upon existing collection records and professional review.

("pool" = 'S13')

Missouri River Model

The distribution is based upon existing collection records and professional review.

("pool" = 'O19')

Overall Prediction:

("pool" = 'S13') OR ("pool" = 'O19')

Literature Cited:

Freeze, M., and S. Henderson. 1982. Distribution and status of the bighead carp and silver carp in Arkansas. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 2(2):197-200.

IowaDNR. 2004. Iowa fish and fishing: Bighead carp. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa. http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/iafish/bighead.html (October 2004)

Pflieger, W.L. 1997. The fishes of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City, Missouri. 372 pp.

Data Sources:

Berry, C.R., D.L. Galat, and M.L. Wildhaber. 2004. Fish distribution and abundance.

Volume 3. Population structure and habitat use of benthic fishes along the Missouri and lower Yellowstone rivers. U.S. Geological Survey, Cooperative Units, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota.

Black Hawk Fish Management. 2002. Field notes and unpublished reports. Northwest

Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Lake View, Iowa.

Long Term Resource Monitoring Program. 2002. Pool 13 database, 1990-2001. Upper

Midwest Environmental Science Center, Bellevue, Iowa.

Manchester Fish Management. 2002. Field notes and unpublished reports. Northeast

Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Manchester, Iowa.

Spirit Lake Fish Management. 2002. Fish kill data. Northwest Management District,

Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Orleans, Iowa.

Additional References:

Clay, W.M. 1975. The fishes of Kentucky. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Frankfort, Kentucky. 416 pp.

Cross, F.B., and J.T. Collins. 1995. Fishes in Kansas. University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Public Education Series No. 14, Lawrence, Kansas. 315 pp.

Douglas, N.H. 1974. Freshwater fishes of Louisiana. Claitor’s Publishing Division, Sponsored by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 443 pp.

Douglas, N.H., and R.J. Jordan. 2002. Louisiana's inland fishes: a quarter century of change. Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings (43):1-10.

Etnier, D.A., and W.E. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. 681 pp.

Ferber, D. 2001. Will black carp be the next zebra mussel? Science 292:203.

Fuller, P.L., L.G. Nico, and J.D. Williams. 1999. Nonindigenous fishes introduced into inland waters of the United States. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 27. x + 613 pp.

Jennings, D.P. 1988. Bighead carp, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis: a biological synopsis. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report 88(29):1-35.

Pflieger, W.L. 1989. Aquatic community classification system for Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation. Jefferson City, Missouri. Aquatic Series No. 19. 70 pp. plus Supplement.

Phillips, G.L., W.D. Schmid, and J.C. Underhill. 1982. Fishes of the Minnesota region. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 248 pp.

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20, Bethesda, Maryland. 183 pp.

Robison, H.W., and T.M. Buchanan. 1988. Fishes of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 536 pp.

Thom, R.H., and J.H. Wilson. 1980. The natural divisions of Missouri. Transactions of the Missouri Academy of Science 14:9-24.

Photo Credits:

Upper Left: Photo courtesy Iowa Department of Natural Resources. http://www.iowadnr.com