Local anglers devastated as carp confirmed in large drinking reservoir Googong Dam just outside the ACT

One of Australia’s worst invasive species is now breeding in a key Canberra drinking water reservoir.

Transcript

00:00 Nestled in the hills not far from the urban sprawl of Canberra and Queanbeyan sits a reservoir

00:17 that some anglers call a freshwater fishing oasis.

00:20 This is a big, big boy.

00:23 And this is partly why.

00:25 Googong Dam is home to some massive Murray Cod. Catching a couple launched the career of Rob Paxivanus.

00:31 It's a 70, 80 pound fish.

00:34 And helped him become the host of his own TV show, Fishing Australia.

00:38 It was one of the last remaining freshwater systems that were carp free and hence it was very clear.

00:45 Across the Murray Darling Basin, carp are a massive problem.

00:52 In places they now make up 80 to 90 percent of the fish biomass,

00:56 destroying aquatic plants and reducing water quality.

00:59 Just there, look at it. Huge.

01:02 And in recent years there have been growing fears they were establishing themselves in Googong.

01:07 Local angler Paul Orman has seen them a few times.

01:11 Were you shocked?

01:12 Yeah I was actually because I didn't think there was any carp in here and they kept telling me

01:15 there was no carp and I said oh yeah but these are carp.

01:18 The Parks ACT webpage about fishing states carp are still excluded from the dam.

01:23 But a government spokesperson confirmed to the ABC that in late 2021 a survey found

01:29 adult and sub-adult carp, indicating that breeding had taken place.

01:34 And it's the word breeding that is really key in that statement because the odd carp has been seen

01:43 and even caught here since at least 1990 but it wasn't considered an established or self-sustaining population.

01:50 So if they're breeding they're producing under their own steam and so a population will take off.

01:57 Mark Lintemans has studied freshwater fish in the region for more than four decades

02:03 and suspects the carp may have escaped from a flooded farm dam in the catchment

02:07 or been used as live bait.

02:10 He thinks it's extremely unlikely the fish could have come from a pipeline connecting

02:14 the Murrumbidgee River to Googong and says carp pose no threat to Canberra's drinking water supply.

02:21 No it will have no effect because Googong's water is fully treated before it gets to Canberra taps.

02:27 I mean this fish can swallow a small child.

02:29 But there are fears that native fish stocks in Googong could suffer

02:33 particularly if carp numbers boom over the next decade.

02:37 It's devastating news it really is like it's really sad so I never thought that the carp would get in there.

02:43 All's not lost but we definitely need a solution.

02:46 Authorities have stocked more predatory native fish here like Murray Cod and Golden Perch

02:53 in an attempt to keep carp numbers low.

02:55 But one female carp can lay a million eggs and authorities say once they're in

03:00 they're extremely difficult to control.

03:04 [BLANK_AUDIO]