Science · Colac carp cleanupColac carp die-off: About 40 tonnes removed as cleanup continuesWritten November 5, 2026 at 10:05 PM UTCWatchTranscript0:07Crews have vacuumed about forty tons of dead carp out of a creek.0:11Residents in Kolak are still living with the smell of rotting fish, and the cleanup0:17continues.0:18The longer-term problem is how to stop carp building up in the waterway again.0:22Kolak Otway Shire Council estimates crews have removed forty thousand kilograms from0:27Barangao Creek in southwest Victoria.0:31That estimate was made public on November6 th.0:34It measures the weight collected so far, with more work still needed.0:39Longtime resident Pam Cuthbertson described the fish packed together, thousands and0:44thousands all jammed up against each other.0:47You couldn't get a twig between them.0:49She called the situation an environmental disaster for people around the creek.0:54Decomposing fish have brought an odor spreading through the surrounding area.0:58Authorities say carp swam from adjoining Lake Kolak into Barangarook Creek to spawn.1:04The council believes low flows left the water short of oxygen during breeding1:09season, killing thousands of fish.1:12It describes the deaths as naturally occurring.1:14EPA Victoria says it won't investigate further because the deaths didn't involve1:19waste or pollution.1:21The council's low oxygen explanation remains the suspected cause.1:25Removing carcasses addresses the immediate smell, while managing carp living in the1:31lake requires a longer-term response.1:33The council warned on October30 th that dead carp could continue for weeks,1:38depending on weather and water conditions.1:41A vacuum pump trial succeeded on November second.1:44Removal ramped up by November4, and many carcasses appeared cleared by November5.1:51The council coordinated with EPA Victoria, the State Environment Department, and the1:56Corangamite Catchment Management Authority.1:58Contractors were to remove concentrations of dead carp where practical.2:02The catchment authority later said it had no active management role that leaves the2:07council running the removal operation, with coordination involving several agencies.2:12A truck fitted with suction equipment is vacuuming carcasses from the creek.2:17Doug McNeill, the council's infrastructure and environment general manager, says2:22it's been effective at removing fish and reducing the smell.2:26He warns some odor will continue and asks residents for patience.2:30McNeil recalls the region's last fish kill on this scale around two thousand and2:35nine.2:36At the time, some people thought the carp had all died, but numbers recovered.2:41His recollection shows the difficulty facing the current response.2:45Even a large die-off can leave carp able to rebuild their population.2:49Taylor Hunt, the Victorian Fisheries Authority's recreational fishing manager, says2:54functionally eradicating carp from two Tasmanian waterways took almost thirty years.3:00It cost more than fifteen million Australian dollars.3:03Those figures describe Tasmania's effort, separate from the work facing Lake Colak.3:08Hunt says authorities are considering screens to block carp entering the creek to3:12spawn.3:13Another possibility is mass catches when the lake naturally dries up.3:18A carp virus could eventually become another tool.3:21For now, crews are collecting dead fish, while those options remain under3:25consideration for controlling the living population.3:28Hunt makes safety and practicality conditions for using a virus.3:32CSIRO is still testing that option.3:35His immediate aim is to reduce carp numbers enough to limit their impact on3:39waterways, even if eliminating them proves out of reach.3:43Laboratory testing and national modeling suggest the virus could reduce carp3:48populations substantially, depending on conditions.3:51Scientists still have to work through that research.3:54Any eventual use would also bring the practical challenge of managing dead carp, the4:00same kind of task crews are dealing with now.4:02The modeled reduction ranges from thirty to eighty percent.4:05Depending on conditions, that hasn't been demonstrated through a field release, and4:10it isn't a forecast for Lake Kolak.4:13National research is expected to extend into twenty twenty-eight.4:17With any release decision still ahead, the council hasn't given residents a final4:21cleanup date, and authorities haven't announced when they'll choose local population4:26controls.4:27Preventing another accumulation will require decisions about those measures.4:32Hunt's goal is to bring CARP numbers below the level where they have a meaningful4:36impact on the waterways.Read the articleStory timelineHeyDex
