In 1877, America distributed carp across the country for food; escaped populations later uprooted underwater plants that native fish rely on

In 1877, the U.S. Fish Commission loaded crates of a foreign fish onto trains and sent them across the country. The goal was simple: give Americans a cheap, hardy food fish. According to a risk assessment published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , the agency imported common carp from Germany that year and spent the next two decades stocking rivers, lakes, and farm ponds nationwide. It looked like a win for the dinner table. Nearly 150 years later, the carp are still here, and the damage they caused runs far deeper than anyone back then could have guessed.

Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!