A final decision on whether to release a carp virus into Australian waterways, including the River Murray, has been pushed back until 2028.
Additional research into the proposed biological control will continue for at least another two years, a decade after the virus was originally hoped to be released. The work forms part of the federal government’s National Carp Control Plan, which began in 2016.
Scientists have been examining how the disease would spread through river systems and what long-term impacts it could have on native fish species and the broader environment. The program involves 11 research institutions and is described as Australia’s largest and most expensive biological control agent investigation.
An initial $10.4 million dollars was allocated to the project, with a further $3 million dollars committed in 2024 to continue the research.
The federal Agriculture Department says all state, territory and federal agriculture ministers will consider the final findings before making a decision in 2028 on whether the virus will be released.
