Author(s)

Moshe Gophen^1*, Gregory Snovsky²

¹Migal-Scientific Research Institute, Kiryat Shmone, Israel.
²The Fishery Department, Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Settlements Development, Tiberias, Israel.

Silver Carp (SC) (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Valenciennes, 1844) is a worldwide common fish for aquaculture and stocking in lakes and reservoirs. The fish is distributed through rivers, aquaculture and stocking in about 90 countries around the world. SC was first introduced into Lake Kinneret in 1969 and continues onwards. Total number of stocked fingerlings (1969-2013) was 18.5 × 10⁶ (average: 441 × 10³ per year). The total catch (tons) of SC in Lake Kinneret was 3218 tons, average: 75 t/year. Studies on SC in East Lake, China, revealed that the fish was a phytoplanktivorous and percentage of consumed phytoplankton varied between 83% - 91% where Microcystis was the major item. In Lake Kinneret, the effects of SC and the Cichlid, Galilee St. Peters Fish (S. galilaeus) on Plankton resources are not independent and potentially competitors. SC is also known as efficient consumer of Microcystis. It was found that environmental conditions in Lake Kinneret were optimal for reasonable growth and recruitment of this fish to commercial fishery. The SC did not reproduce in Lake Kinneret and we recommended introducing annually 600 - 1000 × 10³ fingerlings for the benefit of water quality protection and fishermen income.

Silver Carp, Kinneret, Introduction, Growth, Feeding

Gophen, M. and Snovsky, G. (2015) Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Val. 1844) Stocking in Lake Kinneret (Israel). Open Journal of Ecology, 5, 343-351. doi: 10.4236/oje.2015.58028.