Hundreds of anglers will take to the water within the hope of hooking the invasive carp as numbers explode throughout Australian waterways.
Some 700 folks will solid a line throughout the Narrabri carp muster in north western NSW, which has been held for 15 years.
Jamie Charlton from the Narrabri Amateur Fishing Club stated these collaborating have been doing a public service.
“Carp are a pest towards the native species, so the cod, the yellowbelly and the catfish, they get in and eat all their eggs and just make the water pretty much disgusting,” he informed AAP.
“With the river being in flood last year, I’d expect upwards of 1000 carp to be brought in over the weekend.”
The state authorities has urged the commonwealth to set a date to launch a herpes virus to assist management carp populations.
“The sheer number of carp we have seen out west is unbelievable and confronting,” NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders stated.
“The massive downpours in the past few years have created the perfect breeding ground for this pest, which poses a significant risk to our native fish, our water quality and our habitats.”
Deniliquin farmer Louise Burge stated carp numbers have been uncontrolled.
“I have seen first hand the major population increase with carp with the three floods in the Murray and Edward river systems,” she stated.
“People need to really see what has happened in order to understand the urgency of the issue.”
The nationwide carp management plan launched final yr recognized the potential for the herpes virus for use as a organic management agent however really useful additional analysis be undertaken.
“We want to see these final steps taken, as well as the development of an implementation plan, so that the virus can be rolled out as soon as possible,” Mr Saunders stated.
Any launch of the carp virus might be a number of years off as states want to provide authorized approval.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt stated the security of the herpes virus nonetheless wanted to be assessed.
“We’re conscious there are different views in the community about, for instance, whether we should be releasing diseases into water,” Senator Watt stated.
“There are obviously advocates of that approach as a way of controlling carp, but there is still some scientific work to be done to be able to assure people that it is safe to do so.
“It does appear from the scientific proof we have acquired to this point that it will probably make a distinction nevertheless it’s not a complete answer.”
The Queensland, South Australian and Victorian governments said more research was needed on what impact the virus had on other fish.
The federal authorities is working with the states on carp management plans earlier than agreeing on the following steps.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
