A plan to infect invasive fish species with herpes has sparked complaints about its 'secrecy'.
The Federal Government in Australia is keeping the results secret of its final recommendations into the $15million National Carp Control Plan.
The plan will involve introducing the herpes virus into waterways to kill off the introduced species.
The proposal became dinner table conversation back in 2016 when deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce famously ranted about 'carpageddon' during Question Time.
The Department of Agriculture has recently received final recommendations around a National Carp Control Plan, reports ABC news.
Kindly Support Our Blog by Browsing the Ads.
However it's undergoing a final review before the details can be sent on to state and territory governments.
The government's refusal to release the details for the plan is causing frustration among environmentalists and fishing groups.
South Australian ecologist Faith Coleman has been following the proposal since it was first brought up.
She's read all 13 background reports and still doesn't believe there is enough of a backing from the science.
Ms Coleman told ABC news she's particularly concerned details around where the money is being spent is being kept under wraps.
'To me it's incredibly important that we're open about where our government money is spent and what the final recommendations are,' she said
An commercial fishing group in the Lower Lakes and Coorong area shares a similar view on the government's plan.
The Southern Fisherman's Association Chair Garry Hera-Singh said the public has a right to know what's going on.
'I'm bewildered, I'm gobsmacked. I can't understand why this information currently is not out and not available to the public,' he said.
The Department of Agriculture said the next step will involve bringing in a number of committees before any decisions are made.
'Governments will need to consider a range of policy matters; undertake relevant legislative approval processes, implementation planning, communication and stakeholder engagement,' the statement said.
The plan is being developed because of the environmental impact of carp's overpopulation on waterways like the Murray Darling Basin.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce went red in the face during parliament in 2016 shouting about the need to introduce the virus to control the species.
His infamous rant involved him repeatedly yelling about carp and herpes while the surrounding ministers struggled to contain their smirks and laughter.
'We are afflicted with this disgusting mud-sucking creatures, bottom dwelling mud-sucking creatures, for which the only version of control is a version of herpes to try and get rid of these disgusting mud-sucking creatures,' Mr Joyce said.
'No we don't want to deal with carp,' he continued. 'We gotta get rid of the carp. But we don't want to have to deal with carp.'
No comments:
Post a Comment