Carpageddon Coming to Australia!

[Joe]

Australia Will Release Herpes Into Its Rivers to Wipe out Invasive Carp


Australia Will Release Herpes Into Its Rivers to Wipe out Invasive Carp

Dubbed “Carpageddon” by the government, the National Carp Control Plan will cost A$15 million to spread the virus through carp-ridden waterways.



Carp have been obliterating native fish populations since they were first introduced into Australia in 1859. They also have negative impacts on water quality.


...

“The common carp is a nasty pest in our waterways and makes up 80 per cent of fish biomass in the Murray Darling Basin,” Christopher Pyne, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, said in a press release.


Following years of testing conducted by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, scientists determined that a strain of herpes—Cyprinid herpesvirus (CyHV-3 or carp herpesvirus)—specifically targets carp. Other species of fish and other animals exposed to the virus, including humans, will not be affected.


The government recently announced their intention to release the virus into the Murray-Darling river system by the end of 2018.

 

[Amy SF]

Well...that's different from treating the carp like food.

 

[Joe]

Well...that's different from treating the carp like food.

Different, yes. But possibly still cruel.

The herpes virus kills carp by attacking their kidneys, skin, and gills.

 

[Tom L.]

^^^ Sounds pretty much as bad a way to go as a hook... and the thing is, it was humans' doing that the carp are in Australia in the first place, I suppose.

(Yep. Before I completed this post I read the link- and sure enough, the carp didn't exactly swim across the Pacific in an attempt to invade Australia.)

 

[Blobbenstein]

they have a lot of problems with invasive species, over there. Domestic cats gone feral are a problem too.

 

[Joe]

they have a lot of problems with invasive species, over there.

What goes around comes around.

Invasive Asian Carp Are Closing in on Lake Erie

Invasive Asian Carp Are Closing in on Lake Erie

So what solution is there once the Asian carp make it to Lake Erie? Simple — eat it! The carp are described as extremely delicious even though they are quite boney. It is unlikely that they will be a popular substitute to crowd favourites, but we may not have a choice.

Abandon your veg*nism to save the environment!