A fisherman is thrilled to catch a big black carp at the festival. [Photo provided to wuxi.gov.cn]

Xishan district in Jiangsu province's Wuxi city kicked off the third annual Wuxi Ganlu Black Carp Festival in Ehu town on Jan 12 with festive drum beats.

The first black carp was soon captured and pasted with the Chinese character "福" to pray for a good harvest.

Ehu is currently home to over 1,300 mu (86.67 hectares) of black carp farming ponds with an expected total yield of more than 1.1 million kilograms this year. The catches will hit the market between Jan 12 and the Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 10 this year.

Favored by natives, black carp are typically either made into meatballs, smoked, or steamed. Steaming black carp takes about six minutes, and is widely considered the best way to experience the essence of the fish's original flavor.