VRFish, the Victorian recreational fishing peak body, is advocating for immediate action to control invasive carp populations.

“European carp are the ‘rabbits’ of our waterways, they have a disastrous impact on our water quality, native fish populations and cause environmental degradation to our rivers," VRFish chair, Rob Loats, said.

Across south-eastern Australia, invasive carp dominate freshwater fish communities and make up a significant proportion of fish biomass, sometimes more than 80 per cent, in areas of the Murray-Darling Basin.

VRFish are advocating for carp control measures to be implemented as a priority to give our stressed waterways a chance to recover from the damage caused by this highly invasive species and provide a boost to our native freshwater fish populations.

“Now is the time to act," Mr Loats said.

"Recreational fishers are deeply concerned by the negative impact carp continue to have on our waterways and we are calling for a bipartisan commitment to implement carp control measures ahead of November’s election.

“We are still waiting on the Australian government’s decision on whether or not biocontrol will be used following the National Carp Control Plan (NCCP).

"There is no clear timeline on when a decision will be made and, even if biocontrol is released, it will not be a stand-alone solution.”

Measures that could be implemented to reduce carp populations include installing fish screens, supporting native fish passage, and establishing a National Threat Abatement Plan which includes carp harvesting, and completing the NCCP to determine if biocontrol will be released.

VRFish believes any plans to control carp populations should include complimentary measures such as native fish recovery and stocking plans and restoring fish habitat.

This also allows recreational fishers to play a vital role in supporting on-ground actions, river recovery and clean-up operations.

In April, VRFish attended the Murray Darling Carp Summit, co-hosted by the Victorian Fisheries Authority and Australian River Restoration Centre, where the formation of a Murray-Darling Carp Action Alliance was proposed to ensure a collaborative, Basin-wide approach to carp control.

Earlier this year, VRFish launched its plan to make fishing better ahead of November’s Victorian state election.

Through this, VRFish is calling on all Victorian political parties to commit to supporting carp control measures in our waterways.

VRFish has been proudly representing Victoria’s recreational fishing for thirty years.

View the full list of VRFish state election priorities on the VRFish website.