Healthy Rivers

As part of the Clean Water Campaign, the Healthy Rivers Project currently incorporates the Parramatta River Carp Competition and the Derwent River Riverkeepers.

Parramatta River Carp Fish-Out

Parramatta City Council, Radio 2KY, Sportsfish and Clean Up Australia worked together to organise the inaugural carp fishing event on the Parramatta River on 4 November 2006 as part of Parramatta City Council's Riverbeat Festival.

The event was organised to highlight the impact that carp have on the health of the Parramatta River and provided an opportunity for local community to fish carp from the river.

Restoring the health of the Parramatta River

Find out what you can do to help the native fish return the Parramatta River.

Restoring native fish to the Parramatta River Fact Sheet (136.19kb)

About Carp

• Carp are not a native fish. They have invaded rivers all over Australia and have degraded the rivers to such an extent that affects the native fish populations.
  
• Carp can be identified by the two barbels or whiskers on either corner of their upper lip and can grow up to 17kg in Australian waters.
  
• It is illegal to stock carp into streams, rivers or lakes in NSW and fines of up to $11,000 apply.
  
• Carp can tolerate low oxygen levels and high salinities in water and account for 90% of the fish biomass in some areas of the Murray-Darling Basin.
  
• Carp feed by sucking up mud and plants from the bottom and blowing out what they don't want. This feeding behaviour (roiling) muddies the water and can uproot aquatic vegetation. 
  
• As part of their Healthy Waterways program, Parramatta City Council is working to restore native fish populations to the Parramatta River by installing fish ladders: devices that help the fish migrate up the river.

For more information, please contact Gabrielle Kay, Clean Water Project Advisor on (02) 9692 1204.

Links

Parramatta City Council http://www.parracity.nsw.gov.au/

Sportsfish http://www.sportsfish.com.au/pages/library/current-news/carp-fishout.html

2KY http://www.2ky.com.au/

Derwent River

Clean Up Australia supports the work of Riverkeepers who have been involved in the clean up of the river banks of the Derwent River in Tasmania, as well as the removal of star fish and car bodies from catchment areas.