Coonamble gets hooked
Carp buster 2024
Community Participation
The issue
European carp occupy a prolific population in the waterways around the Coonamble district. Carp are known to degrade water quality as their bottom feeding habits increase the turbidity of the water. This poses a significant threat to the population of native fish species as the suspended sediment can reduce visibility and make it difficult for them to feed, diminish aquatic plant populations, smother fish eggs and clog their gills. As well as this, the carp themselves compete with native fish for the same food and space; particularly for younger fish. The settled particles form a silty base of our creek systems leaving them exposed to severe erosion and long term damage.
The solution
Coonamble- Castlereagh Landcare identified the large population of carp as an issue for our local waterways. Our solution was to organise and hold The Coonamble Carp Buster offering prizes for a variety of categories. To best achieve this a relationship was established with OzFish and the event was co-run as well as co-funded. We also linked up with our local council to donate funds which allowed us to hold a free BBQ for all participants on the day.
Leading up to the event and throughout the carp muster we provided an educational experience on the issues surrounding carp and the benefits of removing them from our waterways. Competitors were required to bring all carp caught on the day back to the competition hub at the Warrena weir where they were measured and counted. The fish were then disposed of at the Coonamble waste facility. On the day each participant was also required to collect 50 pieces of rubbish, encouraging the event to leave our local waterway in a better condition than the day before, both in the water and out.
The impact
The Coonamble Carp Buster saw 226 participants from all different backgrounds and community demographics come together for a family friendly day of fun. We removed over 10,000 items of rubbish and over 400 carp from the Warrena Weir, the Castlereagh river and other tributaries and dams in our region. Our local community was extremely active in their engagement with the event, and are excited about the possibility of Coonamble-Castlereagh Landcare holding another carp muster event in the future.
Key facts
- Sustainable, Pest control, Community engagement, Mental health