A RECENTLY released scientific paper has thrown into doubt anglers’ long-held claims that the crucian carp is a truly native British species.
Attributed to the analysis of several experts, the piece appears to undermine the cult species’ story of origin as ‘Britain’s only wild carp’.
It says there is ‘strong support’ for the theory that the crucian was brought over from Europe in the 15th Century, and that native claims are ‘based only on anecdotal evidence’.
However, fish expert and crucian fan Professor Mark Everard says the paper is not definitive and that the conclusion “is not a million miles away from a previous paper that suggested crucians were once native but had been replaced or mixed with stock from the Continent.”
Mark also stressed that, regardless of origin, crucians and the typical environments they live in should be the focus of ongoing conservation efforts.
