What was the initial intended purpose for introducing common carp in the U.S.?

To establish a major food source for the nation.

The foundational goal for stocking the common carp into U.S. waters by the U.S. Fish Commission in 1877 was explicitly to create a major, reliable food source that could sustain the growing national population. Policymakers looked towards the established role of carp in European diets, where it served as a staple and often a delicacy, particularly during holidays. The carp was selected because of its extreme hardiness; it can survive and reproduce quickly even in challenging, nutrient-rich, or muddy water conditions where other desired fish species might perish. Unfortunately, this hardiness led to an association with less desirable habitats in the American culinary view, undermining its intended role as a primary protein.