Carp Eradication Hailed a Success

Media release – Jo Palmer, Minister for Primary Industries and Water, 8 June 2023

Removing invasive carp from Tasmanian waters

A 28-year program to remove the invasive European carp from Lakes Crescent and Sorell is being hailed a success.

The European carp is an invasive species of freshwater fish that threatened the diverse array of native flora and fauna, some endangered, which call Tasmanian waters home.

Carp infestation also posed a risk to our recreational angling industry and commercial fishery which are significant to Tasmania’s economy.

Led by the Inland Fisheries Service, the Carp Management Program captured the last carp from Lake Crescent in 2007 and announced eradication in 2009.

While it is difficult to detect aquatic species in low numbers in larger lakes, it is believed that the few, if any carp remaining in Lake Sorell, are unable to breed.

Juvenile carp surveys in Lake Sorell indicate that there has been no carp recruitment since 2013, despite years of ideal environmental conditions for spawning. The last fertile male carp was caught in the December 2019 season.

This has been verified by an independent assessment by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, concluding that there are no fertile males left in Lake Sorell. This means that those few fish that do remain will be unable to reproduce.

Primary Industries and Water Minister Jo Palmer congratulated Inland Fisheries for its significant efforts in tackling the invasive species.

“Inland Fisheries developed the Carp Management Program in response to carp being found in Lake Crescent at Interlaken in the Central Highlands in 1995, and in Lake Sorell soon after,” Minister Palmer said.

“We know how important this work has been over the past 28 years and that’s why the Tasmanian Government has provided $12.4 million over this time to support the program.

“I would also like to acknowledge the support from the Australian Government which provided an additional $2.8 million through the Caring for Our Country, Fisheries Research Development Corporation and Invasive Animal Cooperative Research Centre to support the project.

“We will continue to be vigilant, conducting well-structured and coordinated monitoring to confirm there is no recruitment and I am cautiously optimistic I will be able to announce eradication of carp from Tasmanian waters in the near future.”

About 49,300 carp have been removed from the lakes during the program.

Inland Fisheries will continue monitoring lakes Crescent and Sorell for carp, while also undertaking education campaigns to prevent the reintroduction of the invasive species into Tasmania.

If members of the public find a carp, they should report it to Inland Fisheries by calling 1300 INFISH or email infish@ifs.tas.gov.au