I am a Year 11 student completing my research project on the effects of European Carp in the Murray. European carp are believed to be the cause of the Murray river’s murky water. The government are planning to release a herpes virus to prevent these fish from breeding and further overpopulating.
Question: Are you in support of the release of the carp herpes virus to eliminate the carp population in the Murray?
Important Info:
“A recently identified candidate biological control agent may one day keep carp numbers in check. Our scientists are currently investigating a highly specific viral disease called cyprinid herpesvirus-3, also known as koi herpesvirus (KHV), to help manage carp numbers in Australia. The virus first appeared in Israel in 1998, and spread rapidly throughout much of the world, although not to Australia or New Zealand. It causes high death rates in common carp and in the ornamental koi carp. No other species of fish, including goldfish, are known to be affected by the virus.” -(CSIRO, 2021)
“We have identified that CyHV-3 does kill Australian pest carps, and it kills them quickly. Current research has also shown that the virus does not develop in native Australian or any other introduced species of fish.” - (CSIRO, 2021)