Who do you call when you want to get rid of carp and eel from a local lake?
The local fishermen, that’s who.
And that’s exactly what Liverpool Council did when it decided to rejuvenate Wattle Grove Lake by “evicting’’ the carp and eel and give local species a chance to survive and thrive.
The council discussed the plan with the Wattle Grove Hotel Social Fishing Club and 15 of its best anglers were given permission to reel in the unwanted species.
By the end of the day, the club’s members – led by organiser Michael Wilkinson – caught a total of 67 fish (43 carp and 24 long-finned eel).
Liverpool Council has now granted the club a three-month fishing permit to flush the lake of the unwanted species which are known to feed on native bird and marine life.
Basic fishing priniciples and practices such as limiting bag sizes to certain catches apply in the permit, and all native species of fish such as Australian Bass, Mullett and Gudgeons will be thrown back into the water.
Liverpool Councillor Tony Hadchiti, who was on hand to watch Saturday’s eel and carp cull, said the fishing club were to be commended for their work in helping put the health of Wattle Grove Lake back in the spotlight.
“Council is proud to see that Wattle Grove Hotel Social Fishing Club has decided to contribute to making the lake a better place for residents to enjoy, and we look forward to seeing the results of the three month fishing exercise,” Cr Hadchiti said.
The fishing exercise is in addition to Liverpool Council’s $40,000 plan to help restore the lake to its best looking state.
The cost of the works have gone towards repairing damaged footpaths and building a new path from Delfin Drive, installing additional seating and building a shade structure over the existing play equipment.
Rock barriers, recycled plastic borders around garden beds and two new water features have been installed to help improve the overall ambience of the lake.
