Detailed Guide to Grass Carp Breeding Techniques: Key Methods and Operational Points

The breeding methods of grass carp are similar to those of several other farmed carps, which is why grass carp is also often polycultured with silver carp, bighead carp, and black carp. Grass carp breeding techniques mainly include: spawning site, breeding season, and spawning method.

Spawning Site

Since grass carp cannot spawn in still water, the spawning site is generally chosen at the confluence of rivers in the main stem of a river, the deep-channel waters on the concave side of a river bend, or a river section where the banks suddenly narrow - these are suitable spawning grounds.

Breeding Season

The breeding season of grass carp is similar to that of silver carp, slightly earlier than that of black carp and bighead carp. The reproductive period runs from about April to July, mostly concentrated in May. When the water temperature remains stable at around 18°C, grass carp will spawn on a large scale.

Spawning Method

Grass carp usually spawn in the water column, without the fish body rising to the surface, commonly known as "quiet spawning." However, under favorable reproductive ecological conditions, such as a sharp rise in water level accompanied by thunderstorms, the female and male fish chase each other in the upper layers of the water, showing the "floating spawn" phenomenon of turning belly-up and trembling. After fertilization, the egg membrane absorbs water and swells, and the egg diameter can reach around 5 mm; the eggs drift downstream with the current, developing best at around 20°C, and hatch into fry in about 30-40 hours.