ABSTRACT
Few fi sh species give rise to as confl icting opinions as carp. On the one hand, carp are often considered an invasive species and a pest. On the other hand, many consider carp the most desirable species on the planet, and devote their lives to catching them. Carp fi shing is increasing in popularity and also the demand for carp fi sheries, for example more than 1.9 million carp were stocked in England and Wales in 2002-2003 (Environment agency 2004). In Europe, carp fi shing has a high socioeconomic value (e.g., Arlinghaus and Mehner 2003). In England and Wales alone, 26 million days were spent coarse angling. The angler gross expenditure was in excess of 1 billion euro and 30,000 jobs were generated (Radford et al. 2007). Considering the increasing demand for carp fi shing, it is important that there are guidelines for managing carp lakes sustainably without jeopardizing the ecosystems of these lakes. Here the attraction of carp to anglers, especially emphasizing growth rates and biomasses of carp in nature and how to combine carp fi shing and healthy lakes are explored.
