Dispatch Method:

Carp can be very tolerant of air exposure and can live for prolonged periods in ice slurrys. To maximise their eating qualities they should be killed humanely by iki jime, or a firm knock to the head before being placed in an ice slurry after bleeding.

Fish Description:

• European Carp have small eyes, thick lips with two barbels at each corner of the mouth, large scales and strongly serrated spines in the dorsal and anal fins.
  
• The colour is variable depending on water conditions, but is commonly olive green to grey dorsally, fading to silvery yellow on the belly.

Fish Distribution:

• Carp are actually native to Asia, but ancient traders are thought to have spread the fish west into Europe.
  
• From there carp have been introduced into Australia on several different occasions. European carp have been introduced into the Murray-Darling system as well as many other water bodies and rivers in south eastern Australia.
  
• Small populations also occur in Tasmania and Western Australia.
  
• They also have been translocated into many other countries and are now one of the most widely distributed freshwater fishes in the world.

Fish Size Common Length:

40-50 cm, maximum size exceeds 120 cm and 60 kg.