The delayed report from the Senate inquiry into feral horses has been published. I found the following to be the most telling recommendations:

Recommendation 1
7.31 The Committee recommends that the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, in collaboration with its state and territory counterparts, undertake an impact and population assessment of feral horses at the national level.

Recommendation 2 7.35 The Committee recommends that the Minister for Environment and Water list habitat degradation, competition and disease transmission by feral horses as a Key Threatening Process under the Environment Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999.

Recommendation 3
7.36 The Committee recommends that, after the Key Threatening Process is in place, the Minister for the Environment issue a Threat Abatement Plan as soon as is practicable, in order to reduce the threat of feral horses in the Australian Alps.

Recommendation 4
7.39 The Committee recommends that in partnership with the states and territory, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority undertake work to measure, monitor and record the quality of Basin water resources in and flowing from the Australian Alps, with particular reference to the impact of feral horses.

Recommendation 6
7.44 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government take a lead role to achieve cooperation between state and territory governments in the formulation of management plans for National Heritage listed places, including in the Australian Alps National Heritage place. The Australian Government should establish agreed mechanisms to resolve disputes between jurisdictions to ensure that National Heritage values are being protected.

Recommendation 10
7.57 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government increase funding to the states and territory, who are the primary land managers of the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves, to enable them to ensure National Heritage values are upheld and threatened species are protected from extinction.

Recommendation 12
7.62 The Committee recommends that the NSW Government update the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan to allow the use of aerial shooting as one of the available feral horse control methods if deemed appropriate under strict safety, scientific and humane practices.

Recommendation 14
7.70 The Committee recommends that the NSW, Victoria and ACT Governments urgently review the safety of staff working in and around national parks, and work with local law enforcement agencies to ensure that staff are properly protected in their workplaces.

Full report at https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportsen/RB000047/toc_pdf/ImpactsandmanagementofferalhorsesintheAustralianAlps.pdf

Federal and state agricultural ministers have agreed to continue researching the virus

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-09/murray-darling-basin-carp-herpes-plan-research-continues/102951008

Meanwhile it is unclear what authorities might do to make dint on carp numbers in the interim.

The report was postponed multiple times, in due course to 13 Oct. … no news as at Mon 16 Oct – I’ll keep you updated.

More information on our earlier post here.

Our next meeting will be held upstairs in The Loft meeting room at Raiders Weston at 1 Liardet Street in Weston from 7:30.

Our guest speaker will be Fly Fishers International member Freddy von Reibnitz who will give us a presentation on The History of Bamboo Fly Rod Building in Australia. Freddy will also be bringing a couple of Australian-made rods with him for us to look at.

Freddy is the only person Lyall knows of who has passed all levels of the Fly Fishers International Fly Casting Skills Development Program using only bamboo fly rods – a fantastic achievement!!!

The NSW Natural Resources Commission are reviewing the priority risks and impacts of invasive species and the effectiveness of current management strategies.

Your chance to contribute closes 31 Oct.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say/nsw-invasive-species-management-review

In an earlier blog post I said that an independent study was to be undertaken. A recent post on Facebook by NSWCFA (reposted on our Facebook) called our attention to its release.

https://www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/580658/Menindee-Fish-Deaths-Report_Findings-and-Recommendations.pdf

The link is to a covering letter and the Executive Summary so is a relatively short read (5 pages). It is a clear description of what happened and why, as well as things that need to be done.

Amongst others, the issue of carp is raised. The National Carp Control Plan (still under consideration by Federal and state governments and seemingly reliant on the carp herpes virus) is not mentioned by name, but the Chief Scientist’s report does recommend “an integrated national invasive fish species management strategy be finalised and resourced.”

The delay in decision making on the carp virus, the apparent lack of a ‘Plan B’ alternative to the virus, and the absence of any other/complementary carp control activities being currently undertaken, has been the subject of much correspondence by NSWCFA to NSW and Federal governments.