How Do Silver Carp Reproduce? Methods and Techniques Explained

Silver carp, also known as water carp, is one of the famous Four Major Chinese Carps. Because of its fast growth rate and short maturation period, it is widely farmed. However, due to its many bones, many patients cannot eat it, so its market price is relatively lower, but its farming prospects are still decent. So how do silver carp reproduce?

I. How Do Silver Carp Reproduce?

Silver carp reproduce by laying eggs. Generally, a female fish that has grown to 3 kg or more can reach maturity. A female fish of about 5 kg carries about 40,000-50,000 eggs per kg of body weight, with an absolute fecundity of 200,000-250,000 eggs.

II. Which Tastes Better, Silver Carp or Bighead Carp?

Bighead carp tastes better. Compared with the two, bighead carp has tender flesh and a high degree of freshness; the famous fish head with bean starch sheets soup uses bighead carp head. Silver carp, on the other hand, has coarser flesh, a bland and tasteless mouthfeel, sometimes with a muddy odor, and its freshness is not as good as bighead carp. More people like eating bighead carp. Therefore, the price of bighead carp is often higher than that of silver carp. So the price is relatively higher.

The differences between the two are as follows:

1. In terms of living environment, silver carp lives in the upper layer of the water and feeds on phytoplankton such as diatoms and green algae. Bighead carp inhabits the middle and upper layers of the water and feeds on zooplankton such as water fleas.

2. In terms of the size of the fish head, both bighead carp and silver carp have very large heads, but the head of the bighead carp is even larger, accounting for 1/2 of the body or even more, so bighead carp is also called “big-head fish” or “fat-head fish.”

3. In terms of the color pattern of the fish scales on the body, bighead carp has light black spots on its body, while silver carp has all-white scales with no black spots, which makes them relatively easy to distinguish.

4. In terms of flesh quality, bighead carp has delicate flesh, and its head is rich in collagen protein, making it most suitable for chopped chili fish head, garlic-flavored fish head, curry fish lips, fish head tofu soup, and so on. Silver carp flesh is slightly loose, and its freshness is not as good as bighead carp. Silver carp has more small bones and is inconvenient to eat, while bighead carp is somewhat better.

5. In terms of fishing methods, fish for silver carp at a depth of 40 cm, and fish for bighead carp at a depth of 60 cm. Use sour bait for silver carp and stinky bait for bighead carp. Because they both live in the upper water layer, the fishing method used for silver carp and bighead carp is float fishing. Their difference is that the distance of the hook from the water surface is somewhat different.

6. Silver carp tastes worse than bighead carp and has more small bones, so generally people do not eat silver carp head but eat bighead carp head.

7. Silver carp is more impatient by nature and is very easily startled into jumping; bighead carp is milder by nature and moves slowly.

8. Although silver carp and bighead carp are similar in their preference for vegetarian odors, there are still differences: silver carp prefers a mixed odor of sour, sweet, and stinky, while bighead carp prefers a mixed odor of fishy, fragrant, and stinky.