In an unusual plan referred to as "carp-aggedon," the Australian government is going to give its invasive European carp (Cyprinus carpio) herpes in an attempt to rid the country's river system of 95 percent of the species.
"It affects the European carp by attacking their kidneys, their skin, their gills and stopping them breathing effectively," Science Minister Christopher Pyne. "They have the virus for a week before they show any symptoms and it suddenly kills them within 24 hours."
The carps' ability to mass reproduce makes them a great hindrance to the country's waterways. The invasive species has numerous social, environmental and economic impacts, which is why carp-aggedon is being enacted.
"Carp have major negative impact on water quality and the amenity value of our freshwater rivers and lakes," Australia's Department of Agriculture and Water Resources reported. "This affects all water users, including irrigators and regional communities. Carp also have a devastating impact on biodiversity, and have decimated native fish populations in many areas since they first became established as a major pest in the wild in the 1960s."
The strain of herpes will be released in 2018, giving the Australian government enough time to plan for the impact that the virus will have. The plan will cost $15 million overall, and the majority of the budget will go towards getting rid of the resulting dead fish.
"Suddenly, there will be literally hundreds of thousands, if not millions of tonnes of carp that will be dead in the River Murray," Pyne said.
Although the plan might sound a bit dangerous, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization claims that no other species of fish is known to be affected by herpes. Furthermore, carp that have contracted a weakened strain of the virus do not cause any detrimental effects on the humans that consume them.
"The virus kills carp in about a week, so authorities have also organized a program to clean up the millions of metric tons of carp bodies that will be left behind," according to Science magazine. "The virus is expected to kill 70 percent to 80 percent of carp in the Murray-Darling system."
