In comparison to grass carp, the distances from the eye to the superior and inferior edges of the pre-operculum are respectively longer, contributing to the elongate appearance of the scaleless head.

[7] Black carp have large cycloid scales on their body and a forked tail fin behind a broad caudal peduncle.

[8] The black carp was later intentionally introduced to the US in the 1980s for use in retention ponds and aquaculture facilities to manage yellow grub and snails populations.

Black carp later began to migrate to connected river systems, and spread via continued flooding events.

Snails are obligate alternate hosts of trematode pests that can cause substantial losses to aquaculture crops.

Some state aquaculture laws require the carp to be bred as triploids, to render them sterile, thus minimizing the potential for the fish to escape and create self-sustaining populations.

[9] The most effective methods, such as chemical poisoning, are successful at killing carp, but also affect other fish in the body of water, further disrupting the ecosystem.

[9] Efforts to prevent Asian carp from spreading to crucial ecosystems such as the Great Lakes or waterways on the West Coast are ongoing.

[11][12] Local laws prevent human release of these fish in these waterways, and population controls have also contributed to this success.

The presence of black carp within this enormous river system means that this highly invasive species has access to a vast range of bodies of water covering the majority of the Midwestern United States.