Grass Carp
The Grass Carp is a herbivorous, freshwater fish. It was introduced in the United States for aquatic weed control. Grass carps have an elongate, chubby body form that is torpedo shaped. Body color is dark olive, shading to brownish-yellow on the sides with a white belly and large slightly outlined scales. The grass carp grows very rapidly, and can attain nearly 4 feet in length and over 70 pounds. They eat up to 3 times their own body weight daily. They thrive in small lakes and backwaters that provide an abundant supply of fresh water vegetation.
Adults of the species feed exclusively on invasive aquatic plants. They feed on higher aquatic plants and submerged grasses, but may also take detritus, insects, and other invertebrates. The species was deliberately introduced into the United States in 1963 for aquatic weed control. When used for weed control, often the fish introduced to the water bodies are sterile.