Vol. 20 18 No. No. 4 27 Vol.
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Wednesday, January Wednesday, July 13, 26, 2016 2017
Horsham’s Ss Michael and John’s Primary School students donned colourful costumes to celebrate Indonesian culture during a festival at the school. The festival included workshops focused on drama, art and cooking and culminated in a traditional Indonesian dance-drama show for the school community, presented by students in grades three and four. Pictured is Violet McGennisken during the performance. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Carp in cross hairs R
BY DEAN LAWSON
evelations of a growing presence of carp in one of the Wimmera’s top angling lakes is set to add weight to a push for a national introduction of a speciesspecific virus to tackle the pest fish.
They might also strengthen an argument that the Wimmera Basin, home to a closed river system, should be among potential trial target areas for a release of the virus. Wimmera Catchment Management
IN THIS ISSUE
Authority, in response to reports of a growing catch rate of the species in Toolondo Reservoir, is awaiting results of DNA water sampling to assess the extent of the carp spread in the lake. It will use its findings to develop a carp-control plan for Toolondo using traditional methods and will also forward the information for inclusion in a National Carp Control Program, NCCP. Project leaders are working on the NCCP, which will outline ways of tackling noxious carp to improve
the quality of Australian waterways. One potential solution is the possible release of the carp virus cyprinid herpesvirus-3, through a $15-million Fisheries Research and Development Corporation plan on behalf of the Federal Government. As part of the plan, the NCCP is co-ordinating a national research program to understand how best to manage the potential release of the virus to control carp species and community attitudes and opinions involving the concept. The virus concept has attracted
widespread support in Australia, but also international fears that the disease might jump the border and threaten an important worldwide fish resource. Wimmera CMA chief executive David Brennan said an increasing carp catch rate at Toolondo, renowned as a trophy trout, redfin and yabby fishery, represented an added frustration in a battle to protect environmental water quality. “There had been a growing number of reports about carp in the lake – I even caught one myself – so we went out and did some EDNA sampling,”
he said. “We took nine samples in three different ponds and they are currently getting analysed at a lab in Melbourne. We expect results in the next few days. “Carp might have been in the lake before, but perhaps not at the level we suspect they are now. “As soon as we get an understanding of the carp presence we will consider control measures and perhaps tackle them with electrofishing while they are schooled up over the winter months.” Continued page 3
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