Species Use Database

Common carp
Cyprinus carpio

Used for Food and feed in Czechia

A. Species

Scientific name: Cyprinus carpio

Common name(s): Common carp

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Vulnerable


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • Czechia

Country/Region: Czechia/ Bohemia


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State

Name/Details of location: 241 sites in Prague and Central Bohemia


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2006

End Year: 2017


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from a suitable habitat but not its own natural habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Targeted fishing harvesting/exploiting or collecting wild aquatic resources

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed

Motivation of use: Basic subsistence and Recreational

Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National / local government


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from a suitable habitat but not its own natural habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Results of this study show that an increase in legal harvest size from 35cm to 40 cm total length on January 1st, 2016 led to a decreased harvest and recapture rates of common carp, promoting population growth.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Despite tighter restrictions on permitted carp size, fishing effort increased - i.e., remained a viable and profitable industry, with the purchase of permits and gear.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Sustainable, popular, recreational practice.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Eaten without ill-effect.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Restrictions on minimum permissible size caught have reduced recapture rates for fish.


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

Perhaps the next step in common carp fishery management in the study area could be setting a maximum-size limit to protect trophy-sized carp harvest and recapture rates were also positively influenced by the intensity of stocking and fishing effort, suggesting that fishery managers should take into account both fish stocking practices and angling effort before making any decision regarding further changes in angling rules


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2020-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Lyach, R. (2020). The effect of a large-scale angling restriction in minimum angling size on harvest rates, recapture rates, and average body weight of harvested common carps Cyprinus carpio. Fisheries Research, 223, 105438.

Date of record entry: 2022-11-21