On October 18th 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added the black carp to its blacklist. Under the Lacey Act, which stops the transportation of illegally caught or prohibited animals across state lines; these fish were added to the injurious list because of the major damage they are causing to the native mussel population. The black carp (live, gametes, viable eggs & hybrids) can no longer be brought in or taken to any state, territory or possession of the United States without prior consent from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The black carp (also called the snail carp or Chinese Roach) is indigenous to China and commonly used for both food and medicinal purposes. They are highly revered and expensive because of their diet – these fish have a voracious appetite for snails, mollusks, and mussels. In one day, they can eat their way through a few pounds of mollusks a day! In optimal conditions, they can reach up to 3 feet in length and weight over 70 pounds. They were brought into the southeastern US in the 1980’s to attempt to control a parasitic outbreak. During the 1990’s they were widely used at catfish and bass farms to control another snail parasite. But now they are decimating the native snail breeds, including some already critically endangered species.

Despite finding 7 black carp in the Mississippi River basin, prior to the listing states were not allowed to intentionally release them into the wild. The fish was also caught in several rivers – Mississippi River, White River (Arkansas), Atchafalaya and Red Rivers (Louisiana), and the Osage River (Missouri). A listing will still allow for the black carp to be transported for uses of a scientific nature; including medical, educational, and zoological. Also, intrastate transport or the mere ownership of a black carp is fine, as long as it is in a state where the fish is not prohibited.