Need
The National Carp Control Plan (NCCP), operating within the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), is developing a plan for potential release of the virus known as Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) to control invasive common carp, Cyprinus carpio, in Australian freshwater environments.

If the carp virus is approved for release, major carp mortality events are likely. It is necessary to better understand the potential ecological consequences of such events, and hence to inform clean-up strategies for carp biomass post-release. One potential risk is hypoxia or anoxia in the river system associated with microbial degradation of carp carcasses in accumulation hotspots. As carp inhabit a range of habitat types, including reservoirs, lakes, river and wetlands it is necessary to understand the oxygen dynamics in each of these habitats so that the risk can be adequately managed.

Objectives
The aim of this project is to predict the impact of mass carp mortality on the dissolved oxygen concentration of wetlands, rivers and floodplain habitats. This requires assessment of how the key processes that affect oxygen in these different environments respond to changes in hydrologic flushing, temperature and other environmental attributes, and consideration of the likelihood of carp accumulation.

This modelling will be used to inform the cost-benefit analysis of the carp control program of FRDC, aid assessment of what ecological and infrastructure assets are at greatest risk, and determine whether flow can be used as a strategy to re-aerate water in the event of hypoxia.