Government officials said Monday that fish caught in the Fraser River near Lytton are not an invasive species of Asian carp and are of no concern.

A variety of carp was misidentified by some First Nations fishers recently as silver carp - an aggressive species destroying some watersheds in the eastern United States.

"I think people were pulling these carp out and word got around they were Asian carp," said Environment Minister Terry Lake, who spoke with officials from Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

"The tribal council put out a warning and it got misinterpreted as a DFO warning."

A subsequent news story was published by a Vancouver television station.

Brian Chan, a biologist and renowned angler, said it was obvious to him from the television footage that the fish landed on the river was a common carp. The fish is typically found in slow-moving waters.

"They're in the lower Fraser River. The live in Nicola Lake, the Shuswap and Kamloops Lake."

Chan said the common carp may be seen in spring at a pond near Tranquille that fills annually.

"That pond is full of common carp."

Chan said he's seen no evidence common carp populations are increasing, calling them "in equilibrium."

Common carp are native to Europe and were first introduced in B.C. waters in the first half of the 20th century.