Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) is a herbivorous, freshwater fish species of the family Cyprinidae, and the only species of the genus Ctenopharyngodon. Grass carp is a native Chinese freshwater fish with a broad distribution from the catchment area of the Pearl River in southern China to that of the Heilongjiang River in northern China. It was introduced into many countries, such as Japan, the USA, Mexico, India, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Romania, Poland, Italy, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Grass carp also has extensive ecological adaptability, of the 115 countries in which grass carp have been introduced, at least 58 (~50%) appear to have self-sustaining populations。The completion of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) genome sequence has accelerated studies on the genomes of other members of the Cyprinidae family. This is a draft genome sequence and transcriptomic analysis of grass carp, adding this important species to the other sequenced teleosts: cod, fugu, medaka, tetraodon, stickleback and zebrafish. This information provides genomic insights into the evolutionary history of the grass carp and its unique vegetarian diet adaptation.