In 2016, the Australian Government began investigating the use of carp virus to control carp numbers in Australia. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) led work.
The FRDC undertook extensive consultation, detailed investigations and targeted research. Eleven research institutions and over 40 research scientists contributed. The FRDC also consulted with policy and expert scientific workgroups. Explore their findings on this page.
Findings of the National Carp Control Plan
In November 2022, the FDRC published the National Carp Control Plan (NCCP). It made several findings.
- If successful, the carp virus could reduce carp populations by approximately 40–60%.
- Integrated approaches may help to further reduce the impact of carp.
- Releasing the virus would most likely, cause an initial major outbreak followed by ongoing seasonal outbreaks that supress the carp population.
The NCCP report confirmed that the carp virus has credible potential as a biocontrol agent. It also identified several areas requiring further research, including
- more testing to ensure other species are not susceptible to the carp virus
- further understanding of disease transmission and ongoing effect of the virus in natural settings
- cost and benefits analysis of using the carp virus as a form of biocontrol to manage carp.
Downloads
- The National Carp Control Plan (PDF 8.10 MB)
- The NCCP includes 19 research papers and five planning investigations, available for download from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation website.
- Technical papers
- Carp biocontrol background (PDF 948 KB)
- Epidemiology and release strategies (PDF 977 KB)
- Carp biocontrol and water quality (PDF 937 KB)
- Carp virus species specificity 2022 (PDF 802 KB)
- Potential socio-economic impacts of carp control 2022 (PDF 1.34 MB)
- NCCP implementation (PDF 1.92 MB)
- NCCP engagement report (PDF 1.20 MB)
- NCCP Murray and Murrumbidgee case study (PDF 8.39 MB)
- NCCP Lachlan case study (PDF 2.72 MB)
Please direct questions about the NCCP documents and technical papers to the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.