The History of Crucian Carp in the UK

I agree with Peter's view that Crucian Carp are a non-native introduced species.

Interesting read, I always though crucian carp were endemic

A highly elucidative text.

Like Monk, I thought they were our own indigenous variety and that the common carp were the only introduced sp.


They taste nice, nevertheless.

Very interesting. Are they common elsewhere in Europe and do they populate the rivers of these countries or are they a still water only species?
How do you cook yours Woody?

no, endemic Woody, not indigenous

http://www.hull.ac.uk/geogmods/html/endemism.html variation by restriction you see

Endemic organisms are not the same as indigenous organisms

the ecological meaning of "endemic". See also endemic (epidemiology).
In biology and ecology, when something is endemic, it is unique to its own place or region; it is found only there, and not found naturally anywhere else. The place must be a discrete geographical unit, often an island or island group, but sometimes a country, habitat type, or other defined area or zone. For example, the orange-breasted sunbird (Anthobaphes violacea) is endemic to Fynbos, meaning it is exclusively found in the Fynbos vegetation type of southwestern South Africa.

Endemic types or species are especially likely to develop on islands due to their geographical isolation. This includes remote island groups, such as Hawaii, the Gal?pagos Islands and Socotra. Endemism can also occur in biologically isolated areas such as the highlands of Ethiopia, or large bodies of water like Lake Baikal.

Endemics can easily become endangered or extinct due to their restricted habitat and vulnerability to the actions of man, including the introduction of new organisms. There were millions of both petrels and "cedars" (actually junipers) in Bermuda when it was settled at the start of the 17th century. By the end of the century, the petrels were thought to be extinct, and cedars were driven nearly to extinction. This was caused by centuries of shipbuilding as well as the introduction of a parasite. Both petrels and cedars are very rare today, as are other species endemic or native to Bermuda.

Endemic organisms are not the same as indigenous organisms ? a species that is indigenous to somewhere may be native to other locations as well. An introduced species, also known as a naturalized or exotic species, is an organism that is not indigenous to a given place or area.

John I have caught crucians on the Ebro so they must be in the river systems as well.

John, I know from a bloke in Sweden that they are plentiful - and big! - there and in the rest of Scandinavia. My chap says that there are thousands of unfished lakes there, with a good chance that Crucians are in many of them. Crucians will survive conditions that hardly any other fish can put up with. If just a few predators like pike and big perch are in the same lake, then you have the ideal conditions for huge Crucians. Incidentally, CRucians can change shape to make it more difficult for the predator to grab them. Yes, they do exist in rivers in Europe and Western Asia, as Gav has proved, which makes it all the odder that they don't here - unless someone knows differently. I think that if they were a genuinely native fish they would be present in the river systems

I will leave the historic part to the history experts....what i will say is that i have caught crucians in places where stocking of any fish is not recorded...eg Brickyard swill ponds!

I would be interested to know if they are natives of europe...because IF they are i would find it hard to believe that they couldn't have got over here, either naturaly or as food supplies?

Incedently....i know their capability to hang on to life is incredible.....challanging even the eel.

It depends what "native" means, I suppose, Paul. They've obviously been here a long time but I just think there's more evidence that they were brought here from abroad like carp and zander, rather than spreading naturally along the ancient river systems to us from Europe like, say, roach and pike.

As to how fish spread, my Swedish correspondent says that there the most remote lakes can contain Crucians, where there's no chance of human stocking and where there are no interconnecting streams. Adhesive Crucian eggs on bird feathers, perhaps? Who knows?!

A 9" Pike appeared this winter in my 9'x 5' garden pond. Now how did that get there? I didn't put it in. It happily eats worms beside the 8 Crucians. Any theories?

Its strange how local the distribution of Crucians is, as a lad fishing in South Norfolk in the 50s and 60s they were one of the most common fish that I caught. The small farm ponds and pits where I learned to fish all had a good population. I'm sure no one was stocking these so it must have been natural spread by water birds and the like.

It was only after I left the area that I realised that they were quite a rarity.

I don't fish those parts these days but I know that there is still a good head of them in Diss Mere up to 2.5lbs or so. These days the water is clear and they have to compete with a mixed stock of carp and silvers, back then the water was so badly polluted from the old town drains that the Crucians seemed to be the only fish that could survive. They did well on the bread thrown in for the ducks.

How they got into the mere I have no idea but there are records of them there in old town guides in the early 1800s.

Robin, I'd be fascinated to learn more about the Diss Mere crucians and their history. Is there any chance of doing so? Please email me if so. Thanks.

Peter, its been 35 years since I lived in Diss and I'm far from and expert on the area and the fishing now.

I recall that the fish of the mere were described in a Norfolk Gazette of about 1820 or 30 in the local museum but I don't now if you can get a copy or even if the documents are still on show. The best bet might be someone at the local Diss AC who now control the Mere. A google search should give you details.

Hope you can get some information. Thinking about the fishing has made me quite nostalgic for the place, perhaps it's time to arrange a trip back and see if its still as much fun to fish there. I don't know if its just a that you remember the good times but those early morning session with a dozen or so crucians in the 1 to 2lb range are what turned me into a life long angler.

A 9" Pike appeared this winter in my 9'x 5' garden pond. Now how did that get there? I didn't put it in. It happily eats worms beside the 8 Crucians. Any theories?

I`ve had the same in my ponds, I have however introduced plants from locasl waters and I also accept the birds feet theories

Hi Monk,

I know that newly formed waters get populated via wildlife. ducks and so on get fish eggs stuck on them, and by moving from one pond to another spread the fish. Have you had a visit from any Herons, i have seen one regurgitate a fish that was still alive, this could have happened also.

I have fished a local lake for years that at one time held the record for crucians, and these fish are the real thing according to the EA who have done some tests.

I dont care where they came from, or if they are native to this country, they are a great fish to catch and look at.

Hi Ray

Yes its quite amazing how if you create the environment, it soon becomes inhabited, Herons have probably introduced the jack into my ponds (I have four of them all interlinked by canals and waterfalls), even a rain puddle is amazing under the microscope

Ray and Monk, thanks for the suggestions. I guess that the heron must be the culprit because I haven't brought in any weed.

Thanks, Robin. i'll see what I can discover on the internet. I'm just interested to find out when they were introduced. Like you, I fished for them very early, which is why I give them special treatment in the lakes I now manage.

I grew up in Essex and fished a place called Boreham Mere near Chelmsford for crucians in the 40s and early 50s. They disappeared after pike were put in the lake. It's said that pike and big perch will go for crucians before anything else. Perhaps that's why Crucians grow higher backed where predators are present.

I agree they're a super fish to catch, especially with the odd big tench or two mixed in!