| Summary: | The management of common carp Cyprinus carpio has become a priority issue in most of its native range and where it has been introduced. This is because of the effects (both documented and anecdotal) on freshwater ecosystems that the species is able to exert. To provide a general framework for future management of introductions of this species, this study presents a near-comprehensive, “narrative” review (complementing a “systematic” review: Vilizzi, Tarkan, Copp 2015) of experimental studies of the impacts of common carp spanning almost nine decades. Based on 139 experiments presenting results for a total of 400 “assessments” aimed at evaluating the effects of C. carpio on selected ecological components, a conceptual model linking both abiotic (i.e. turbidity/suspended solids, nitrogen, phosphorus) and biotic components (i.e. phytoplankton/chlorophyll a, aquatic macrophytes, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, amphibians, waterfowl, fish) was refined. Given the status of C. carpio as a species of low concern in Turkish inland waters and its overall unsuccessful recruitment in stocked reservoirs, in the light of the present findings it is suggested that environmental managers should consider targeting shallow (natural) lakes for successful fisheries yields, but conditional upon careful assessment of the economic benefits vs. ecological risks involved.
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