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South African National Parks (SANParks), Invasive Species Fish Management (IFSM), Cape Nature, and Gift of the Givers Foundation are collectively working towards the catching and removal of common carp from the affected water bodies. The removal of common carp is necessitated by the fact that it disrupts ecosystems, causing water clarity reduction, plant depletion, and biota competition. Common carp is considered one of the world’s worst invasive fish, their rapid breeding and growth exacerbate ecological damage.

The Oceana Group, a global fishing and food processing company donated and handed over a boat to the Carp Project team today, 8 May 2024, at Island Lake in the Wilderness Section of the Garden Route National Park.

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) whose natural range includes Central Asia and parts of Europe, was originally introduced into South Africa in the 18th century as an ornamental fish and was later widely distributed as a food fish and for angling. The translocation of carp by anglers is a major source of invasion into new catchments, both in South Africa and across the world.

Efforts to address this issue have been ongoing, with a pilot program initiated in Groenvlei within the Goukamma Nature Reserve managed by Cape Nature since 2018. This program, led by the volunteer-based Invasive Fish Species Management (IFSM) group, has shown promising results. While it helped restore the Groenvlei Lake’s ecological balance, the harvested common carp was supplied to the Gift of the Givers Foundation to assist with hunger relief programmes in the Southern Cape. The program has fed around 320,000 people through soup kitchens and families along the Southern Cape, in line with the prescribed regulations of the Department of Health.

When the project gained momentum due to partnership involvement and operation diversification, the Oceana Group jumped on board and donated a custom-designed boat towards the extension of the project, which allowed the crew to now increase the catch and further reduce population sizes and breeding potential of this invasive alien fish species. It also ensures easier access and increases capacity of the project to expand operations to other lake systems in the Garden Route.

The removal of carp entails the use of specialized bows used for bow fishing to shoot individual fish with an arrow. The removal is done from a boat mainly at night.

The collaborative effort between these organizations highlights the importance of collective action in combating invasive species and preserving the ecological integrity of our natural habitats. Through joint efforts and community engagement, we aim to mitigate the impact of common carp and restore the balance of the ecosystems.