What does it say about our community when a popular local event has become a victim of its own success.
Catch a carp started way back in 2013 and it had a simple aim: reduce the numbers of this pest species so they caused as little damage as possible to the Eagle Vale Pond ecosystem.
Carp are known for their destructive bottom feeding habits, which stir up sediments and muddy the water.
Maybe the local fishers were just too good – more than 300 carp were caught – but either way they were so successful at eliminating carp there’s no longer any need to hold the annual event.
Which is a bit of a shame in a way because, as is the way with these things, catch a carp became a lot more about the fish.
It became a big community day where whole families spent the day together for a worthwhile cause.
The writing was on the wall last year when just seven carp were caught, compared to almost 100 the first few years of the event.
Campbelltown Council this week formally announced that due to its success in clearing carp and the lack of fish caught at recent events, Catch a Carp is cactus.
“Catch a Carp has been a fantastic community event which brought many people together to help our local environment and enjoy a bit of fishing,” Mayor George Brticevic said.
“Since the competition began there has been a sharp reduction in the number of carp at Eagle Vale Pond, with only six caught at last year’s event compared with a high of 97 in 2014,” Cr Brticevic said.
“We’re always looking for new ways to bring the community together to help our local environment, so stay tuned for announcements about some great new local events we have planned this year,” he said.
