It’s been 10 weeks since we came together to talk about carp in Nagambie at the Murray-Darling Carp Action Summit. It was a watershed event that united 80 representatives across 41 organisations with one clear goal: to get serious about carp control.
In the 10 weeks since, we’ve been busy behind the scenes progressing the establishment of a Carp Action Alliance: a coordinated platform to support long-term, system-scale carp management by connecting on-ground action, demonstration sites, knowledge sharing and governance. This was a key priority from the Summit, with the shared view that by working together we can drive meaningful action.
Here’s what’s been done so far:
- Building the Alliance
- Published a webpage and media release on the Summit’s outcomes, including all presentations:Murray-Darling Carp Action Summit – VFA.
- Prepared draft terms of reference for the proposed Alliance.
- Developed and costed a delivery model through the Australian River Restoration Centre (ARRC), to support the Alliance’s formation.
- Written to interstate fisheries agencies and authorities seeking foundation member support.
- Driving action on carp in Victoria
- Secured approval (gazetted) to list carp as a key threatening process under Victoria’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
- Securing media coverage to keep the momentum going.
- Working with the Federal Government, participating in carp management advisory discussions.
- Developing a plan to roll out a carp reward tagging project in collaboration with FishCare.
- Supported the Murray Darling Association in hosting a carp workshop at their annual National Conference in Shepparton, scheduled for August.
Next Steps:
- Establish an Alliance steering group.
- Establish an Alliance working group – seehow you can get involved
- Establish membership options and a pathway for financial contributions to support the efforts of the Carp Action Alliance.
- Develop a quarterly Carp Action Alliance newsletter.
How you can get involved:
If you are passionate about carp management and want to make a difference by supporting the Alliance, we want to hear from you. We’re now looking to form a Carp Action Alliance Working Group (CAAWG). Each quarter, the Alliance will share a broad update with the group and invite feedback, so what we’re hearing can shape the next quarter’s work.
If you are interested, please fill out the Expression of Interest (EOI) form below and tell us about yourself. We’re aiming for a group of around 15 to 20 people, with a genuine mix of backgrounds, skill-sets, knowledge and community representation across the Murray-Darling Basin. We’re still finalising the CAAWG’s terms of reference, but good regional coverage across the basin is a priority.
We envisage the CAAWG would meet online each quarter for around 1 hour. Please complete the EOI form by no later than 31 July 2026.