Carp herpes is coming to the Hunter.
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The rollout of the National Carp Control Plan (NCCP) will reach the Hunter in December, with community briefing sessions to be held in Maitland and Muswellbrook.
The sessions will provide participants an opportunity to hear first-hand about the NCCP’s cyprinid herpes virus 3 plan - colloquially known as ‘carp herpes’.
Championed by former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, the proposal has captured headlines over the year as the investigation into using the species-specific virus as a bio control agent has progressed.
The proposal has attracted its share of critics though, with fears that the virus could be so successful in killing carp that it’d strip water bodies of oxygen and leave thousands of rotting carcass chief concerns.
NCCP National Coordinator Matt Barwick says waterways are the lifeblood of many rural and regional communities and they need to be rehabilitated.
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“While these community briefing sessions are important for us to share the background, context and desired outcomes of the NCCP, they also provide an opportunity to hear from community members about how the prevalence of carp impact on them, their lifestyle or business,” Mr Barwick says.
“We want to work collaboratively with the local community - as healthy river systems and waterways result in healthier communities.”
A decision on the use of the virus is expected by the end of 2018.
The details of the sessions are:
- 6pm – 8pm, 4 December – Maitland. Best Western Hunter Gateway, 11 Denton Park Dr. RSVP (02) 4930 1030
- 6pm – 8pm, 5 December – Muswellbrook. Upper Hunter Conservatorium of Music, 80 Bridge St. RSVP (02) 6540 2400
This event is one of more than 40 community briefing sessions which will be held in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT, Queensland and Western Australia in coming months.
The community briefing session will cover research underpinning carp biocontrol, and summarise work underway under the NCCP and what is yet to come. Hunter Local Land Services will provide an update on the issue of carp in our region and a question and answer session will end the evening.
To find out where other community briefing sessions are being held and to be kept up to date on the NCCP please visit www.carp.gov.au.