146 



NORTHERN FISHES 



Fif/ure 22. Carp, Cyprinus carpio. scale varletj'', 20 inches long. 



Figure 23. Carp, Cyprinus carpio, mirror variety, 18 inches long. 



only a few very large scales, and the leather carp have none at all. The 

 scale carp is the most common variety. 



Carp, like the English sparrow among birds, have proved to be a 

 nnisance in many waters and are universally condemned by sportsman 

 anglers, but apparently they have come to stay and we must make the 

 best of a bad situation. They have been a big item in the commercial 

 fisheries of the midwestern states, particularly in Iowa, Illinois, and 

 southern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Many millions of pounds are pro- 

 duced annually, 90 per cent or more finding a market in Chicago and 

 New York. Most of them are shipped alive. The meat when properly 

 prepared is excellent. Carp are prepared for cooking by skinning them 

 and cutting out and discarding the dark streak running along each side. 

 The meat should be soaked in salt water from two to six hours and 

 may then be cooked by any of the usual methods. Carp are sometimes 

 salted and smoked. 



