Dahua Bighead Carp

Dahua Bighead Carp

The Dahua Bighead Carp is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　The Dahua Bighead Carp has a slightly high and laterally compressed body, with a relatively large and broad head. Its head and back are grayish-black with intermittent light yellow hues, while its belly is silvery white. The sides of the body are scattered with irregular black spots. The Dahua Bighead Carp is a purely ecologically farmed product and has no muddy or earthy smell after cooking. Its head is particularly large, accounting for more than two-fifths of its body weight. The Dahua Bighead Carp is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Leveraging the water resource advantages of the Hongshui River, Dahua Yao Autonomous County has vigorously developed pollution-free ecological cage fish farming. Currently, there are 128 bighead carp farming sites in the county, covering a farming area of 48,000 mu, with an annual production of over 9,000 tons of bighead carp.

　　The Dahua Bighead Carp has a slightly high and laterally compressed body, with a relatively large and broad head. Its head and back are grayish-black with intermittent light yellow hues, while its belly is silvery white. The sides of the body are scattered with irregular black spots. The lateral keel extends from the base of the pelvic fin to a certain point. The mouth is terminal, with the gape slightly upwardly inclined. The snout is rounded and broad. The eyes are relatively small and located on the lower side. The cheek surface is smooth, without fine lines or grooves. The number of gill rakers varies considerably, often increasing with the size of the fish. The gill rakers are densely arranged, resembling latticework but not fused, and there is a suprabranchial organ. The dorsal fin is short, originating behind the starting point of the pelvic fin, while the anal fin originates below the base of the dorsal fin. There are 95–115 lateral line scales. The cooked head and muscle have no muddy or earthy taste, and the skin of the fish head and the muscles around the throat have a particularly delicious flavor, with a smooth texture.

　　The Dahua Bighead Carp is a purely ecologically farmed product and has no muddy or earthy smell after cooking. Its head is particularly large, accounting for more than two-fifths of its body weight. According to tests, every 100 grams of fresh fish meat contains 18.8 grams of protein, 14.32 grams of amino acids, 4.24 grams of crude fat, 57.5 milligrams of calcium, 0.67 milligrams of iron, 0.667 milligrams of zinc, 315 milligrams of inosinic acid, 14.8 micrograms of vitamin A, and 68 milligrams of cholesterol. The unsaturated fatty acid content in the fresh fish meat is 0.665%, with oleic acid at 0.225%, linoleic acid at 0.362%, and linolenic acid at 0.078%.

　　In 2013, the "Dahua Bighead Carp" applied for by the Dahua Yao Autonomous County Aquatic Management Station passed the review of the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and expert evaluation, and was implemented under the national geographical indication agricultural product registration and protection system.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The registered protected area includes 12 towns along the Hongshui River in Dahua Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, namely: Dahua Town, Yantan Town, Duyang Town, Qibailong Township, Gongchuan Township, Baima Township, Guhe Township, Beijing Township, Yixu Township, Bansheng Township, Jiangnan Township, and Qiangxu Township. The protected area is located between 107°19′8″ to 102°2′14″ east longitude and 23°56′16″ to 24°22′15″ north latitude, covering a geographic area of 1,663 square kilometers. The Dahua Bighead Carp is produced in the reservoir areas of the Yantan Hydropower Station and the Dahua Hydropower Station in Dahua County, with a total water surface area of 13,300 hectares. Cage farming of Dahua Bighead Carp is carried out at 128 sites covering 3,200 hectares, while net cage farming covers 62 hectares, with an annual total output of 9,100 tons.