Maccas & tagged carp

NSW DPI (Fisheries), working with Bush Heritage Australia at Scottsdale Reserve have now completed their European carp tagging operation.

As a result there are 31 'electronically tagged' carp in the upper Murrumbidgee River. These carp are the star players in a carp movement study for the upper Murrumbidgee River being conducted as part of the UMDR Carp Research project. The carp movement study is also supported by the Capital Region Fishing Alliance with part funding from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust.

Tagged carp have been clearly marked with a long, thin yellow external tag (near the dorsal fin) so that they can be easily identified should they be caught or sighted.

If a tagged carp is caught, the project is asking recreational fishers to RELEASE the fish and report the details on the tag in return for a reward, which will include the naming rights for their fish.

And in other exciting news, back in February Prue McGuffie and her merry band of helpers caught the first recorded Macquarie Perch here at Scottsdale on the Murrumbidgee.

Previously we'd caught Murray Cod and a lot of carp in the area. Working with Prue on her Phd and DPI Fisheries there has been a lot of surveys, electronic tagging of fish, acoustic arrays and carp netting to see what else is in the river and if we can help the lot of the threatened species that are there.

This 'Macca' was an adult and 7 more, aged 1 to 2 years, were also caught!

That brings our total of natives now recorded to four:

1. Murray Cod,
2. Trout Cod,
3. Golden Perch and now
4. Macquarie Perch.

This guy (the fish) pictured with a happy Prue (the human) was acoustic tagged and carefully released unharmed.