Koi versus Carp

It’s interesting to think about the relationship between Koi and Carp. As a kid I spent a great deal of time at my parents boat up on Lake Erie. Carp were all over the place. I was and still am intrigued by them as they are probably the largest fish I’ve ever caught. Plus it is cool how they spawn and beat the eggs out of each other.

What I find funny is the fact that in Lake Erie, carp are considered to be a junkfish. They are bottom feeders and are said to hold PCBs. (some kind of cancer causing waste that Lake Erie is known for. You don’t touch them and you sure as hell don’t eat them.

Then you have Koi. Koi are just a fancier breed of carp at the end of the day. The difference is of coarse that Koi have been bred for around 4000 years in captivity. This makes the far removed from the dull gray and browns you see carp. But they are the same fish who spawn in the same way.

Koi sell for thousands of dollars in markets all over Asia. But the Carp in Lake Erie is a garbage fish…