Increased Effort on the Carp Front

The recent allocation of additional funding by the State Government to the Inland Fisheries Service for its Carp Management Program has enabled an increased effort at Lake Sorell to prevent any further spawning and reduce the number of juvenile carp.

The funding has enabled four extra staff to be employed for the spring period, enabling extensive trapping and netting to be carried out seven days a week.

A cooperative approach between the Service and commercial eel fishermen has also seen an increase in effort to target and remove juvenile carp in Lake Sorell using fyke nets.

Program Manager Chris Wisniewski said that the he was confident that carp have been eradicated from Lake Crescent and the focus is on Lake Sorell. With the extra support from the State Government combined with the techniques developed over the years of the Program, the Service is in an excellent position to attack the carp population. The immediate aims are to fish down the juvenile carp and to prevent spawning this year.

Leading into spring it was estimated that around 3,500 juvenile carp remained in Lake Sorell. Over 2,000 of these were removed during October and with this increased effort, the Service believes it can make a resounding impact on this juvenile cohort during the warmer summer months.

One commercial eel fisherman recently captured a 2.5 kilogram female carp in his fyke net. The fish was estimated to be carrying over 1 million eggs. This is significant as it is known that there only a very small number of mature fish in the lake at present and this is one less that will be attempting to spawn.