The community leaders from across Australia’s fishing, conservation, farming and scientific sectors came together on Thursday, April 30 for the Murray Darling Carp Action Summit co-hosted by the Victorian Fisheries Authority and Australian River Restoration Centre.
VFA chief executive Travis Dowling said the summit reflected the growing community concern about the impacts of carp on waterway health, native fish and communities across the Murray-Darling Basin.
“Decades of research into a carp virus biocontrol has delayed large-scale operational action, and with more research planned there are no clear timelines for a decision on its release,” he said.
“By contrast, over this period, billions of dollars in government funding has gone to controlling a dozen other invasive species, but not carp.
“We urgently need to release the carp virus because it provides the only catchment-scale solution to our wicked carp problem that is getting worse.”
With more than 300 million carp across the basin, the noxious species represents up to 90 per cent of fish biomass, degrading water quality and displacing native fish, including several threatened species.
The summit, which attracted delegates from 40 organisations, opened with a welcome video address by ACT Senator David Pocock.
This was followed by presentations from NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton, Charles Sturt University associate professor Ivor Stuart, the Murray Darling Association and the Invasive Species Council.
Mr Stuart said carp were ruining waterways, preying on native fish, degrading water quality and pushing threatened native fish towards extinction.
“We need to act now,” he said.
Delegates also heard from a range of experts and industry leaders troubled by the impacts of expanding carp populations in the basin, and came together to identify ways to mobilise meaningful action on the species.
The summit also focused on building a more co-ordinated response, including the proposed formation of a Murray Darling Carp Association Alliance.
Dr Siwan Lovett from the Australian River Restoration Centre said stronger alignment across all sectors was critical.
“Carp are a basin-wide challenge, and addressing them will require co-ordinated action across science, community, industry and government,” Dr Lovett said.
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