Pengze Crucian Carp

Pengze Crucian Carp

Pengze Crucian Carp is a geographical indication certification trademark.

Pengze Crucian Carp is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Pengze Crucian Carp, often found among the reeds in lakes and featuring 5–7 grayish-black reed-like stripes on its sides (which gradually fade after being raised in ponds for some time), is also known as Reed Crucian Carp. It is famed for its large size (the largest recorded individual weighed 6.5 kilograms), hence referred to as Pengze Large Crucian Carp. Originally native to natural waters such as Dingjia Lake, Taibo Lake, Fang Lake, and Yun Lake in Pengze County, Jiangxi Province, it is an improved variety carefully selected over seven years and six generations from wild Pengze Crucian Carp by the Jiangxi Aquatic Research Institute and Jiujiang Aquatic Research Institute starting in 1983.

　　The selected Pengze Crucian Carp has shown significant improvements in production performance, with a growth rate 50% faster than before selection and 249.8% faster than that of ordinary crucian carp, making it the first high-quality cultured variety directly selected from wild diploid crucian carp in China. Due to its excellent traits—such as easy breeding, fast growth, large size, strong adaptability, and high nutritional value—it has been widely promoted across most regions of the country. A complete set of techniques for spawning, fry rearing, and adult fish farming has been established, yielding notable economic and social benefits. Pengze Crucian Carp has a deep grayish-black back, a gray belly, and bluish-black fin rays, with a spindle-shaped body. It has a short, blunt head, terminal mouth with thick lips, no barbels, and a slightly upward-slanting lower jaw. From the base of the lower jaw to the pectoral fin origin, the body forms a gentle curve. The fish is spindle-shaped. The height of the caudal peduncle is greater than the postocular head length. The dorsal fin has a straight outer edge, and the tail fin is shallowly forked. Males have more pointed and longer pectoral fins that can reach the base of the pelvic fins, while females have rounder, blunter pectoral fins that do not reach the pelvic fin base. Pengze Crucian Carp is a eurythermal, omnivorous, lake-dwelling species that lives a benthic lifestyle, preferring shallow areas with fertile substrates and abundant aquatic vegetation for habitation and feeding. It has a wide range of temperature adaptability, enabling normal feeding and growth year-round, with optimal growth at 25–30°C. It shows strong tolerance to water quality changes and low dissolved oxygen levels. In the fry stage, it feeds on planktonic organisms, while in the fingerling and adult stages, it consumes organic debris, artificial feed, aquatic plant fragments, and aquatic insects. In natural waters, Pengze Crucian Carp grows fastest in its first year, reaching around 128 grams, with the second year’s growth about 50% of the first year’s rate. Under artificial cultivation, it reaches around 150 grams in the north and 200 grams in the south in the first year. Pengze Crucian Carp reaches sexual maturity at one winter age and can naturally reproduce in rivers, lakes, and ponds. Its eggs are fertilized by a single sperm and are normal diploid sexual reproduction, with adhesive eggs. It is a multiple spawner, breeding from March to July, with April being the peak period. In the south, when water temperatures rise to around 17°C after mid-March, Pengze Crucian Carp begins to breed, with the most active reproductive activity at 20–24°C. Rainfall, slight currents, and sultry weather can induce spawning during the breeding season.

　　. The height of the caudal peduncle is greater than the postocular head length. The dorsal fin has a straight outer edge, and the tail fin is shallowly forked. Males have more pointed and longer pectoral fins that can reach the base of the pelvic fins. Females have rounder, blunter pectoral fins that do not reach the pelvic fin base. Pengze Crucian Carp is a eurythermal, omnivorous, lake-dwelling species that lives a benthic lifestyle, preferring shallow areas with fertile substrates and abundant aquatic vegetation for habitation and feeding. It has a wide range of temperature adaptability, enabling normal feeding and growth year-round, with optimal growth at 25–30°C. It shows strong tolerance to water quality changes and low dissolved oxygen levels. In the fry stage, it feeds on planktonic organisms, while in the fingerling and adult stages, it consumes organic debris, artificial feed, aquatic plant fragments, and aquatic insects. In natural waters, Pengze Crucian Carp grows fastest in its first year, reaching around 128 grams, with the second year’s growth about 50% of the first year’s rate. Under artificial cultivation, it reaches around 150 grams in the north and 200 grams in the south in the first year. Pengze Crucian Carp reaches sexual maturity at one winter age and can naturally reproduce in rivers, lakes, and ponds. Its eggs are fertilized by a single sperm and are normal diploid sexual reproduction, with adhesive eggs. It is a multiple spawner, breeding from March to July, with April being the peak period. In the south, when water temperatures rise to around 17°C after mid-March, Pengze Crucian Carp begins to breed, with the most active reproductive activity at 20–24°C. Rainfall, slight currents, and sultry weather can induce spawning during the breeding season.

　　Breeding Techniques

　　For breeding Pengze Crucian Carp, broodstock should be selected from mature individuals weighing over 200 grams, with strong health, no injuries or diseases, and typical characteristics. The spawning pond area should ideally be 0.6–1 mu. Seven to ten days before induced spawning, the spawning pond should be drained and disinfected, then filled with about 70 cm of water, taking strict precautions to prevent wild fish from entering. Fish nests are made from palm bark or willow root fibers, soaked and disinfected with 10–20 g/m³, then dried for later use. Spawning can be done through artificial induction or natural spawning. For artificial induction, female fish are injected with 800–1200 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin per kilogram, or 20–30 μg of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog. The male dosage is half that of the female. A single injection is typically used, usually administered at the non-scaled base of the pectoral fin. When the water temperature for induced spawning is 18–20°C, the response time is 9–16 hours, and the entire spawning process lasts 6–20 hours. The hatching method for fertilized eggs is the same as for other crucian carp. For natural spawning, selected male and female broodstock are placed in a cleaned and disinfected spawning pond at a certain ratio. When the weather is sunny and the water temperature is suitable, if signs of spawning behavior are observed, fish nests are immediately set up to allow natural spawning. This method is simple and suitable for small-scale production, but its main drawbacks are the long spawning cycle, inconsistent hatching times, and inconvenience for subsequent rearing management.

　　The geographical indication area of Pengze Crucian Carp includes the following 10 farming units: Taibo Lake Agricultural Comprehensive Development Zone, Taibo Lake Aquaculture Farm, Pengze County Aquaculture Farm, Furong Farm, Pengze Crucian Carp Improved Variety Farm, Haoshan Township, Furongdun Town, Dingshan Town, Madang Town, and Longcheng Town. The geographical coordinates are between 116°40′40″–116°46′44″ east longitude and 29°55′00″–29°58′20″ north latitude.