With many fisheries already suffering mightily due to the accidental introduction of non-native silver carp and bighead carp, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has banned yet another carp species from the United States.

Black carp have recently been added to the list of “injurious fish” under the Lacey Act, meaning it is now illegal for the fish to imported into or transported inside the United States. The prohibition applies to live black carp, gametes, viable eggs and hybrid breeds of the fish.

H. Dale Hall, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service., said the move is an attempt to head off potential problems – like the ones we’ve had in lakes all over the Mid-South.

“Black carp have the potential to cause major damage to America’s native mussel populations, and we want to get out in front of the issue now,” said Hall in a press release by the Service last week. “Stopping the transport of these fish is crucial to the future of our native aquatic species.”

Black carp, also known as snail carp, black amur, or Chinese roaches, can grow to more than three feet in length and often reach weights of 30 pounds or more.

Adult black carp are bottom feeders that almost exclusively eat mollusks (mussels and snails) when available. They can also eat insects, shrimp, commercial fish feeds and aquatic plants.