In a desperate attempt to control wild carp populations, Australia will be using the herpes virus to eradicate the fish species.
In Australia, car is considered to be an invasive species when they were first introduced in 1859. Ever since the beginning of the 20th century, the species thrived so quickly that it now invaded the Murray-Darling river system located in southeast Australia, making up 80 to 90 percent of the total fish species dwelling there.
According to the National Carp Control Plan, the program will invest in a $15 million project that will last for two and a half years to eradicate the thriving fish population from the waterways of that region.
According to officials from Australia's Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, carp have such a massive, negative impact in water quality including the amenity value of freshwater in rivers and lakes. This can affect the water supply of communities, including irrigation systems. Apart from affecting human water supply, carp also possess a devastating impact on local biodiversity that destroyed local fish populations in many areas when they first established themselves as a major pest during the 1960s.
Environmental officials also confirm that upon administering the virus into the river and lake system, the virus will only specifically target carp, where other species not be harmed.
Department officials also say that the virus can eliminate and kill carp in a span of a week where authorities have already organized efforts for a clean-up program, that will collect carp corpses that will float on the surface of the water or will be washed up, that is estimated to be by the millions of metric tons. Scientists also say that the virus is expected to kill off 70 to 80 percent of carp in the Murray-Darling system.
Upon intensively testing the Cyprinid herpesvirus 3, scientists discovered that this can be extremely deadly to different carp species that have invaded the country's waterways. Researchers also say that the virus will leave other animal species unharmed. The virus will work by attacking the gills, skin and kidneys of the carp, as the virus multiplies within the week. Within 24 hours of the first symptoms of disease, the carp will collapse and die.
Not all carp populations will be wiped out, as over time, scientists believe that surviving carp will develop a resistance to the virus. This means that researchers will only have two to four years before the carp develops this immunity to the virus. In China and Vietnam, carp has already been exposed to herpes since the early 1990s, that resulted in no adverse effects on humans.
This carp eradication program will begin by the end of 2018, that will be released in all waterways in Australia.