Strong Government Support to Manage Carp in Tasmania

The fight to eradicate carp from Lake Sorell has been given a major boost with an $820,000 grant from the Gillard Government’s Caring for Our Country initiative.

The two-year funding for the Inland Fisheries Service Carp Management Program will help to protect the endangered golden galaxia fish and conserve biodiversity, particularly in Interlaken Lakeside Reserve, one of the nominated Australian Ramsar sites of national environmental significance.

The Minister for Primary Industries and Water, Bryan Green, said the additional funding effectively matched the State Government’s contribution and would greatly assist the effort to eradicate the pest within two years.

“The State Government has invested a total of $7.73 million dollars in the eradication program since 1995,” Mr Green said.

“Through the use of innovative techniques the Inland Fisheries Service has removed more than 34,000 carp from the two lakes and has successfully eradicated the destructive pest from Lake Crescent.”

Federal Member for Lyons, Dick Adams said European carp are a nationally-recognised pest and pose a significant threat to local waterways.

“Carp are known to reduce water quality, damage aquatic plants, dominate fish communities and threaten endangered species,” Mr Adams said.

“A single 4kg female carp can produce up to 1 million eggs so this project is another important step towards preserving Tasmania’s natural resources.

“This Caring for our Country funding will be used towards integrated pest management techniques that target carp and prevent spawning, including trapping, netting and radio tracking.”

Mr Green said Inland Fisheries would draw on lessons learned through the history of the program to successfully complete the eradication effort.

“A spawning in Lake Sorell in 2009 was a major setback for the program but the response to the incident showed that it was possible to prevent further spawning despite ideal conditions occurring again in 2010.

“Our aim is to eliminate any of the remaining adults in Lake Sorell along with the juvenile cohort from 2009 before the fish mature over the next two years, while preventing the spread of the pest into the Derwent River System.

“Findings from the project will continue to inform carp management in other areas throughout Australia, and will also help to foster partnerships between the Australian and Tasmanian Governments with the local community”.

For more information about the Caring for our Country initiative visit www.nrm.gov.au.