Non-native Prussian carp 'threat' to UK fish, Environment Agency warns

The Prussian carp is non-native to the UK and can affect other fish

An invasive species of carp poses a threat to native fish in the UK, the Environment Agency has warned.

The agency's Fisheries Laboratory in Brampton, Cambridgeshire, is investigating all suspected cases of Prussian carp in the country.

It is native to Asia, central and Eastern Europe and has been found in UK waters, it said.

Gareth Davies from the Environment Agency said: "They have caused impacts to native fish and biodiversity."

The Prussian carp can spread very quickly, Gareth Davies said

According to the research carried out by the Fisheries Laboratory, the Prussian carp arrived in England at some point in the last 10 years.

Since 2020 they have been found in seven different locations in England and the female's eggs can be fertilised by other species, meaning they spread rapidly.

"That effectively produces clones of the female," Mr Davies, a non-native species technical specialist at the Environment Agency, said.

The Environment Agency said any sightings of the carp should be reported

The Prussian carp looks similar to other fish but researchers at the Fisheries Laboratory said it has distinctive silver rings around the eyes.

Any sightings of the fish should be reported to the Environment Agency in a bid to try to stop the spread of the carp, the research team said.

Emma Nolan from the Environment Agency's Fisheries Laboratory said its research supports the UK's fisheries

The research into the Prussian carp and other non-native fish is carried out at the laboratory, which is funded by rod licence fees.

Emma Nolan team leader at the laboratory said: "Because we're seeing fish from all over the country we are really on the front line of being able to detect new and emerging diseases.

"If a non-native species, or disease, or parasite gets into a fishery, that can have a huge impact and it can completely devastate those waters."

The Prussian carp has distinctive the silver rings around the eyes