Carp Virus

[DougieK]

The only good Carp in Australia is a dead one

We agree on some things you know.

Just teach people to eat them and allow some commercial fishing with methods that don't harm other species.
"Carp are good to eat. But, you may have to prepare it properly if you don't like fishy flavor. Carp are a staple part of diets all across the world. Overall, It's a great food fish and can be prepared in many different ways."
A simple commercial operation would allow a licenced person to take them using hooks and line. Those caught by anglers in excess to personal use could be legally given to a commercial operator. No limits on catch.
There are thousands of tonnes of fish taken out of the ocean every year in Australia for conversion to stock feed and fish farm pellets. It would not take a lot of organisation for excess carp to be converted to fish feed pellets

This is a very well thought out response. Do you think there is a viable market for a commercial carp fishery? I don't see who would choose to buy carp unless it's so insanely dirt cheap, in which case i'm not sure how anyone would make profit from it.

I don't think it's illegal to sell carp for food so I can't see why if there is a market this isn't already happening? I'm not sure who would buy them and if there is a market for them i'm not sure why it's not already being filled.

[ronan]

I don't agree with trout stocking and the protections in place but that's an issue for another topic.

Why don't you agree with them? Just interested in your opinion as most of the people I've come across have been fairly supportive and love the trout stocking program.

[4liters]

That question wasn't directed at me but my own reasons for not supporting trout stocking are that they are very harmful to native species, out competing for food, eating them or their fry, and spreading viruses. For mine it's essentially the same as stocking carp, the only difference is there's this stupid cultural thing about trout fishing, especially fly fishing.

There's also a bunch of perfectly viable native species that could be targeted instead if they were stocked to the same levels trout are, they can be targeted using the same methods including fly fishing so people would still get to chuck on the khaki shirt and waders and throw fluff around if they wanted to. I enjoy catching them myself but if that was no longer possible then it's no big deal to fish for something else.

I don't have an issue with stocking them in places where they can't do much harm, lakes like Bullen Meri etc.

The only logical reason I heard for continuing the stocking (and I have no idea if it's based in reality or not) is that the only reason fishing is permitted in national parks is because they're infested with trout. So if the stocking was stopped fishing would be banned in national parks. It honestly seems a bit of a reach but who knows?

[4liters]

This is a very well thought out response. Do you think there is a viable market for a commercial carp fishery? I don't see who would choose to buy carp unless it's so insanely dirt cheap, in which case i'm not sure how anyone would make profit from it.

I don't think it's illegal to sell carp for food so I can't see why if there is a market this isn't already happening? I'm not sure who would buy them and if there is a market for them i'm not sure why it's not already being filled.

I have seen carp for sale in fish shops here. I can't remember if they were local or imported but they were definitely carp. It wouldn't surprise me if the big inland aquaculture places that supply cod and yellowbelly for food have a few ponds of carp as well though.

[mazman]

I don't agree with trout stocking and the protections in place but that's an issue for another topic.

Why don't you agree with them? Just interested in your opinion as most of the people I've come across have been fairly supportive and love the trout stocking program.

The main reason is they are an introduced species that have caused a lot of damage to some of the less notable natives. The other reasons are about where and how they do it, quite a few of the local lakes they stock have water conditions that aren't suited for trout and results in fish dying or experiencing high levels of stress as the water temperature exceeds what they are accustomed to and then the management of brood stock in Victoria is far from desirable as well. They are another species that I enjoy fishing for but I would much rather see the development of suburban native fisheries like they have started doing recently rather than just throwing trout everywhere because they are super cheap to rear, overlooking other issues in favour of saving money.

The only logical reason I heard for continuing the stocking (and I have no idea if it's based in reality or not) is that the only reason fishing is permitted in national parks is because they're infested with trout. So if the stocking was stopped fishing would be banned in national parks. It honestly seems a bit of a reach but who knows?

This seems rather far fetched to me as well, I'm far from an expert on the matter but from what I've seen the vast majority of trout fisheries within natural parks aren't stocked by fisheries and contain a self sustaining population of trout

[ronan]

I agree with that, I too would much rather see long sustaining native fisheries in suburbia than 10,000 trout being thrown in every winter just for all of them to die once spring rolls around.

[re-tyred]

Regarding selling Carp, yes commercial guys can. You can't farm them though.
The current market is mostly for pet food and the price is so low you need to catch vast quantities. The only way you can do that is with electro fishing and that has gone out of favour with Dwelp and other fishing authorities. Mostly this is due to potential harm to other swamp creatures. Obviously netting would also be a no no. That just leaves line fishing, again this could not be longlines left for hours. It would have to be short multi hook lines that are attended while in the water. However price is everything as that would be labour intensive. Europeans and Asians do eat them. With a bit of promotion and a steady supply the market could be developed. If a small bounty was paid it would help get it going. It is really a matter of Dwelp and fisheries management thinking outside the box. It was not many years ago Parrot fish and wirra cod were thrown back by profishers. Now both fetch high prices sometimes higher than snapper. There is no reason the same couldn't happen to carp. The parrot fish and wirra cod were a bye catch of already profitable fisheries so there was a steady supply and the market slowly grew. Carp is different because we have chucked out pretty much all the commercials from our inland water ways, so there would be a need to make the business profitable for a new fisheries. Considering money is already spent on carp reduction , why not pay a private company to catch and sell them, along with some promotions on how to cook and eat them, to get it established.
If you really want to go outside the box, you could allow recreational anglers to hand their fish to commercial companies with no money exchanging hands.

[re-tyred]

This is an old fart post: Back in the day when I was a lad, 1960s, I shot, and caught rabbits for sale of skins and meat and foxes for a bounty as my way of getting a few dollars. It always beats me that these days with all the feral animals and fish in our system that we don't use, recreational fishers and sports shooters to help reduce the ferals. It would not be hard to create a licence for these people with the prerequisite that they had attended a course on the correct way to go about it and past a questionnaire/exam.

[VooDoo]

This is an old fart post: Back in the day when I was a lad, 1960s, I shot, and caught rabbits for sale of skins and meat and foxes for a bounty as my way of getting a few dollars. It always beats me that these days with all the feral animals and fish in our system that we don't use, recreational fishers and sports shooters to help reduce the ferals. It would not be hard to create a licence for these people with the prerequisite that they had attended a course on the correct way to go about it and past a questionnaire/exam.

Re-tyred ... Your idea is so logical that it will not be taken up by those who is managing our waterway

[Bugatti]

This is an old fart post:

Back in the day when I was a lad , , , ,

Yes, it is all about utilising a resource and public perception.

Trout come across and perceived as the "Gentleman's Fish" and introduced for that reason, for the prestige pastime of fishing for them and for the Gentlemen of the Manor.


"Back in the day , , , ," , , , , Dad & I fished for Squid , , , , when asked what we did with them , we bemusedly replied "We eat them" , , , , "Eeeewwww" was generally their reply thinking that Squid were only good for bait. Now, Squid is expensive and sort-after , , , , public perception.
Mind you, that perception hasn't grasped everyone , , , , some won't eat Squid , , , , but they love Calamari

Same with Lamb Shanks, food for pets and the poor , , , , now at any restaurant, $59.00 a plate with duck fat roasted veggies


Carp though, have an up hill battle

Cheers, Bugs