Historical information on common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in Norway

Abstract

The common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758) is an introduced fish species in Norway over the past 300 years. Many attempts have been conducted in order to try to create self-sustaining populations, but the species is very rare. Several authors have asserted that carp was introduced by monks, but this is not documented. The first written reference to common carp in Norway is the often quoted information in Pontoppidan (1753). However, the oldest knowledge of common carp can now be dated back to about 1685. The first introduction took place in the Bergen area, western Norway.