Virus being developed to control carp

Australian scientists are developing a virus against the common carp, the scourge of Australian rivers.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce on Thursday told parliament that following seven years of tests, scientists have found that a naturally occurring virus, Cyprinid herpesvirus, is a genuine option for the biological control of carp.

However considerable work - including more research, legal approvals and community consultations - was needed before the virus could be released, Mr Joyce said.

Carp are the worst freshwater aquatic pest in southeastern Australia and make up 80-90 per cent of total fish biomass in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Mr Joyce was introducing an amendment to biological control law that he said would provide greater clarity and certainty for future biological control programs against pests and weeds.

The change would also support future programs against rabbits, including the proposed national release of a new naturally occurring strain of rabbit calicivirus, known as K5.

K5 would boost existing biological control agents and help to overcome the resistance that wild rabbits are developing to them.