bighead carp
noun
plural bighead carp also bighead carps
: a freshwater cyprinid fish (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) of eastern Asia that has a large head and mouth, is dark gray with an off-white belly, and that has been introduced into non-native waters where it is often considered an invasive (see invasive entry 1 sense 1a) species
The bighead carp, which can grow to 100 pounds, have caused environmental havoc in rivers and lakes in the South and Midwest because they devour huge volumes of food.—
Gene Schabath
Gene SchabathNote: Bighead carp, along with the related black carp, grass carp, and silver carp, are often called Asian carp in the U.S.
Examples of bighead carp in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The project at Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet is part of a decadeslong infrastructure effort between Illinois, Michigan and the federal government to deter the upstream movement of silver and bighead carp.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025
Silver carp, bighead carp and black carp are all banned from being moved while alive.
—Keenan Thomas, The Tennessean, 25 Mar. 2024
Silver carp, grass carp and bighead carp have been documented in the upper river system for years, and a study earlier this year from the U.S. Geological Survey found that black carp are also naturally reproducing in the river basin.
—Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2024
Invasive bighead carp can eat up to 40% of their own weight each day, and their presence would threaten native fish and Michigan's commercial fishing industry.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 2 July 2024
State officials were tipped to the presence of bighead carp at Jack B. Tomlinson Park by an angler, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release Monday.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 13 May 2024
Wildlife officials removed more than a dozen 3-foot-long bighead carp from the Jack B Tomlinson Park pond in Arvada, according to a May 13 news release.
—Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 13 May 2024
In the News George Chance, a fisherman from Festus, Mo., broke a state and world record after catching a bighead carp fish in the Mississippi River that weighed in at 97 pounds, breaking the Missouri state record for pole-and-line fishing of 80 pounds and the world record of 90.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Mar. 2024
On June 15, a commercial fisherman hired to remove invasive fish from the Illinois River system netted one of the largest bighead carp ever recorded, weighing in at 109 pounds.
—Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 28 June 2023
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Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025
Silver carp, bighead carp and black carp are all banned from being moved while alive.
—Keenan Thomas, The Tennessean, 25 Mar. 2024
Silver carp, grass carp and bighead carp have been documented in the upper river system for years, and a study earlier this year from the U.S. Geological Survey found that black carp are also naturally reproducing in the river basin.
—Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2024
Invasive bighead carp can eat up to 40% of their own weight each day, and their presence would threaten native fish and Michigan's commercial fishing industry.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 2 July 2024
State officials were tipped to the presence of bighead carp at Jack B. Tomlinson Park by an angler, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release Monday.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 13 May 2024
Wildlife officials removed more than a dozen 3-foot-long bighead carp from the Jack B Tomlinson Park pond in Arvada, according to a May 13 news release.
—Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 13 May 2024
In the News George Chance, a fisherman from Festus, Mo., broke a state and world record after catching a bighead carp fish in the Mississippi River that weighed in at 97 pounds, breaking the Missouri state record for pole-and-line fishing of 80 pounds and the world record of 90.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Mar. 2024
On June 15, a commercial fisherman hired to remove invasive fish from the Illinois River system netted one of the largest bighead carp ever recorded, weighing in at 109 pounds.
—Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 28 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Bighead carp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bighead%20carp. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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