Clear Lake has many species of fish. There are seven native species and 24 non-native. One of the more numerous fish in the lake is the carp. The lake is literally awash with carp and May and June are the months when they move into the shallows to spawn.
A good example is Clear Lake State Park where carp can be seen boiling in the shallows throughout the park. Carp recently came into the spotlight when a group of local residents joined up with the. Department of Fish and Wildlife to rid the lake of some of its carp in order to protect the endangered hitch.
Carp aren’t native to the United States but were introduced into American way back in the late 1870s. They were brought to California and Clear Lake in 1880. Today, carp can be found is just about all lower-altitude lakes throughout the state. They are the most widely distributed fish in the country. Carp are valued as a food fish in Europe and Asia, and early settlers thought they would also be a desired food fish in America. They are the most widely eaten fish in the world, with more than 200,000 tons consumed annually.
In fact, carp provide more protein worldwide than do cattle. Eastern Europe and Asia are the primary areas where carp are a popular food fish, the reason being they are high in protein and low in fat. Carp were commercially harvested on Clear Lake for many years and were sold to restaurants in the Bay Area. It is estimated there are in excess of 4 million carp in Clear Lake.
Carp are one of the largest members of the minnow family and are a close relative to the goldfish. There are a number of physical characteristics that distinguish them from other fish. Most have a bronze-gold to gold-yellow color on the side, though some are more olive to brown. Their belly is generally a faded yellow tone. Their lower fins often have a reddish tint. Juvenile and breeding males often have a darker green or gray color with a dark belly. Females tend to be somewhat lighter in color than their male counterparts.
The fish also have a short head with a rounded snout. They have no front teeth, but they do have back molars for chewing. Their sucker-like mouth, which points almost downward, is well adapted to their bottom-feeding habits.In addition, they have two barbels, or whiskers, on each side of the mouth. Carp can live as long as 50 years but most only live about 20 years. The common carp can weigh up to 50 pounds and the current world record is 75 pounds although there has been a claim for a fish that weighed 100 pounds.
Carp have found Clear Lake an ideal setting to live and reproduce. They spawn during spring and summer months and they are fertile spawners, with a single female releasing about 100,000 eggs per pound of body weight. Several males follow a female into the shallows and thrash around, coaxing her to release her eggs. The male fertilizes the eggs, which fall to the bottom and stick to weeds and other underwater structures. The eggs hatch in six to eight days. Neither the male or female guards the eggs and young fry.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) classifies carp as a non-game fish and they are considered a hearty fish. They can survive water temperatures that range from freezing to more than 90 degrees. Carp also have the ability to absorb what is called “atmospheric” oxygen. What that means is that if the oxygen levels are too low in the water, carp can still breathe by sticking their noses above the surface and inhaling oxygen from the air. There is no daily or size limit and they can be taken by rod and reel or even shot with bow and arrow. In fact, carp derbies are popular at Clear Lake.
Every few years there is a die-off of carp and a few years ago a virus claimed more than 20,000 carp. Even though most fishermen don’t like carp they will more than likely be here long after we are all gone.
