How Does Carp Affect Australian Environment

The Carp species, scientifically known as Cyprinus Carpio are a Freshwater fish Native to Asia. There are three main types of Carp, the Common carp, the Koi carp and the Mirror carp, all part of the Cyprinidae family. Carp were introduced into Australia in Victoria in 1858 for agricultural and ornamental purposes, with the intention to imitate the European environment. However, the Carp spread around Australia through the escape of ornamental fish. Now, carp can be found predominantly in South-Eastern Australia with smaller populations in Western Australia and Tasmania. More specifically, they inhabit the Murray Darling Basin ecosystem which is one of the most significant agricultural areas in Australia. The carp population is also distributed …show more content…
They feed by sucking up mud and plants from the rivers and then spitting out whatever they don’t want to consume. This stirs up the sediments in the river beds which can also damage and reduce the growth of aquatic plants. Their feeding habits also cause the collapse of vegetation in river banks. By decreasing the amount of oxygen in aquatic plants, that there is less food for other aquatic animals and biotic species. There is also the threat of water quality depletion which would result in a lack of biodiversity to many native Australian species. In particular, Carp affect biotic species both in-directly and directly through habitat disturbance and competitive exclusion such at the competition for food. Why is the Carp so successful at adapting to Australian conditions? The answer lies in its ability to easily adjust to any environmental conditions and its greater tolerance to lower oxygen levels and pollution than other fish. Carp also favour changes in water flow and the decline in water quality, while other fish do not. Carp are a difficult species to control because they reproduce quickly. They are also very mobile, meaning that when Carp removed from an area, more Carp will move and replace