Abstract: Four major Chinese carp are widely distributed in China. Due to rapid growth, resistance to disease and other superior features, carp have major roles in both freshwater aquaculture and fishery in China. The Pearl River is the longest river in southern China subtropical area, which is an important production base and wild resource gene pool of four major domestic carp. Nevertheless, studies on the four major carp in the Pearl River system are very limited, especially, in terms of the rapid decline in fishery resources due to numerous anthropogenic stressors, such as overfishing and dam construction. Thus, study of the resource status of four major carp in the Pearl River urgently needed to reveal the ecological niche of each species. This study investigated the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of four major carp in the Pearl River Basin based on the survey of 16 sampling sites between 2015 and 2016. A total of 965 carp were collected during the studying period, including 41 Mylopharyngodon piceus, 454 Ctenopharyngodon idellus, 351 Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and 119 Aristichthys nobilis individuals. Four major carp mainly distributed between Guiping and Zhaoqing section in the Xijiang River, and also in the upper reaches of Wanfenghu Reservoir in the Nanpanjiang River. Among the collected individuals, about 70% of fish were at 1- to 2-year of age. The highest catch per unit effort (CPUE; 5.68 kg) was in the Lubuge section of the Nanpanjiang River. By comparison, in the middle and upper reaches of Hongshuihe section, the resource of four carp was low, with the CPUE less than 1.5 kg. Similarly, in the important tributaries, such as Dongjiang, Liujiang and Yujiang, the CPUE was below 2 kg. Redundancy analysis was used to describe the relationships between the distribution patterns of carp and associated environmental factors. Results indicated river order, total installed capacity of hydropower station, water discharge and river depth, all played important roles in population distribution. The temporal distribution of Ctenopharyngodon idellus, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Aristichthys nobilis were mainly affected by water discharge and river depth. The construction of hydropower station had the most impact on grass carp population. In general, the four major carp mainly distributed in the mainstream area. The present study is part of a long-term investigation into the wild fishery resources of the Pearl River. Therefore, understanding the processes outlined in this study will assist in the conservation of four major carp, which is critical to the success and sustainability of commercial fishery in the Pearl River.