| Porthole 23 Nov 22

THE aquatic ecosystem observed on Murray River cruises may be set for a bit of a shake-up, under a government proposal to deploy herpes into the water.

Not the sort that affects humans, however, but a carp-specific infection called “cyrpinid herpes virus 3” or KHV (koi herpesvirus) which aims to be a biological control mechanism for introduced carp, which have become the dominant large fish species in the Murray-Darling basin.

The newly released National Carp Control Plan has been carefully developed by extensive scientific collaboration, with KHV said to affect the gills, skin and kidneys of the invasive pest.

No formal decision has been made about whether to actually proceed with the plan at this stage.