RESEARCH projects informing the National Carp Control Plan are in their final stages of being reviewed ahead of the work being presented to the federal government in December.
If the government decides to proceed with release of the carp virus to control carp, there may be the need to clean up large numbers of dead fish in some areas.
Dr Luiz Silva from Charles Sturt University and his team have been reviewing information from around the world to recommend the best way to approach a carp clean-up, should it turn out to be necessary.
"Most of the clean-up reports we found referred to accidental fish kills and lacked well organised clean-up and disposal efforts, these are literally more like an emergency response," he said.
The study highlights the importance of preparation and planning for any possible fish kill events.
A plan is the first part, but then having access to resources to do the clean-up is vital.
"There are two important phases to cleaning up a mass fish kill," Dr Silva said.
"The first may seem obvious and easy removing the fish from the water, however in a country as large as Australia with remote regions this could be quite a challenge.
"Then there is a need to dispose of the carcasses appropriately and safely.
"Because the carp virus release is only a concept at this stage (requiring government approval) it represents an opportunity to develop a well thought-out clean-up and disposal plan beforehand."
Researchers also acknowledge and recommend carrying out clean-up trials to investigate the efficiency of different strategies in different ecosystems (terrains).
This research project is an important part of the NCCP and provides insight on a key challenge of a clean-up should the government decide to release the carp virus and it be required.
The NCCP is a $10.2-million program led by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, on behalf of the federal government.
The program aims to address the questions: is it feasible to release the carp herpes virus to control carp? If so what is the most effective way to release and manage the virus?
