Common Carp

Cyprinus carpio

DE: Karpfen

Non-native

Maximum Size: 120 cm
Waters: 27

Distinguishing Features

Deep-bodied, large scales, two barbels at the mouth, long dorsal fin.

Habitat

Warm, standing and slowly flowing waters with muddy bottom and dense vegetation.

Red List Germany

* · Not threatened

Not threatened in Germany.

Archaeozoon: introduced before 1492. Populations are largely maintained by stocking.

Red List of freshwater fish:: Freyhof et al. 2023 · Rote-Liste-Zentrum
IUCN global:: LC · Least Concern

Fishing rules by federal state

Can I keep it?

Federal state	Minimum size	Closed season	Notes
Baden-Württemberg	35 cm	none	Does not apply to Lake Constance, which has its own rules.
Bavaria	35 cm	none	Districts may set different rules.
Berlin	35 cm	none
Brandenburg	35 cm	none
Bremen	none	none
Hamburg	35 cm	none	Harvest slots: only fish between the minimum and maximum size may be kept.
Hesse	45–60 cm	15 Mar – 31 May	Harvest slots: only fish between the minimum and maximum size may be kept.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	40 cm	none	Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own ordinance.
Lower Saxony	none	none	Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own rules.
North Rhine-Westphalia	35 cm	none
Rhineland-Palatinate	35 cm	none	Many waters (incl. Rhine, Mosel, Lahn) have additional closed seasons.
Saarland	35 cm	none	Night fishing is prohibited.
Saxony	40 cm	none	1 Feb – 30 Apr: fishing with predator baits is prohibited.
Saxony-Anhalt	35 cm	none	The fisheries authority may allow different minimum sizes for individual waters.
Schleswig-Holstein	35 cm	none	Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own ordinance.
Thuringia	35 cm	none

Compare all states

Statewide rules for anglers as of 24 Oct 2026, without guarantee. Clubs and waters can set stricter rules; the ordinance text is binding.

Waters

Introduced

Expected in these federal states

Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia

Expected occurrence, modelled from each water's fish zones, habitat type and the federal states the species lives in, and checked against GBIF records — not a record of observations.