Gone Fishing Day Walgett

Improving the health of the river system and encouraging community participation

The issue

The spread of common carp in Australian waterways is a major environmental problem. Introduced in the 1800's, carp now dominate many river systems, particularly within the Murray-Darling Basin. Their bottom feeding behaviour stirs up sediment, increasing water turbidity and reducing light penetration, which damages aquatic plants.This degrades habitat for native fish, birds and invertebrates. Carp also competes with native species for food and breeding space. High carp populations contribute to poor water quality and bank erosion.

Managing carp remains challenging and requires a coordinated effort, habitat restoration and and long term catchment management strategies.

The solution

NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the Recreational Fishing Trust support grants for organisations to run Gone Fishing Days. These events promote and celebrate fishing as a fun, healthy outdoors activity for everyone to enjoy.

Holding a Gone Fishing Day improves recreational fishing by raising awareness, attracting new participants and encouraging responsible fishing practices. It promotes conservation education and connects the community with experienced anglers and resources.

Northern Slopes Landcare Association were successful in obtaining a grant and in partnership with OzFish, hosted a Gone Fishing Day in Walgett, with carp as the target species for the day.

The impact

102 members of the community registered to fish. The weather was perfect for a relaxing morning attempting to capture some of the invasive carp species that abound in the river system.

The anglers were made up of seasoned practitioners along with some first-time anglers,most of whom were successful in their attempts. The largest carp caught on the day measured 78cm with several others between 45 and 78cm, it appeared that everybody had a lot of fun during the morning. It is estimated that approximately 250Kg of carp were removed from the Namoi River in Walgett.

‍