ABSTRACT
Aquaculture plays an increasingly important role in securing mankind’s rising demand for high-value protein. Consequently, aquaculture production has increased substantially in the last few years. The most important taxonomic group of fi sh in the world of aquaculture are cyprinids. Worldwide, 5.35 Mio t silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), 4.57 Mio t of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), and 3.73 Mt of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were produced in 2011 (FAO 2013). These fi sh species rank among the fi rst three places in global fi nfi sh aquaculture statistics. Further cyprinid species such as bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) with 2.71 Mt and some of the Indian major carps, including catla (Catla catla) and rohu (Labeo rohita), rank next. The production of cyprinid species has doubled since 1992 (FAO 2013). Hence, farming of cyprinids in fi sh ponds is the most important form of aquaculture in the world today.
