For decades, carp in the Murray River have been regarded as pests, where the law states that you are not to throw carp back when fishing. However, a recent protest from animal rights activists has caused quite a stir.
“We believe it makes no sense to remove such a beneficial fish from the river just because people want to trophy hunt”
Silvia Perch – Animal Rights Activist
Last Friday on International Fish Day, animal rights activists gathered all over Australia, including Bruno Bay in Waikerie, where they protested the enforced law of killing carp. The protest lasted for over 24 hours, where the protesters camped out with banners whilst livestreaming the entire event (pictured below).
Amongst the protesters was Silvia and Gylden Perch who spoke on behalf of the activists.
“We just believe that carp have just as much of a right as a human does to be treated with respect and dignity”, they said. “We believe it makes no sense to be removing such a beneficial fish from the river just because people want to trophy hunt”.
When asked if they had a degree in environmental science, ecology, or anything similar that could back up their claims they replied;
“We don’t need a degree to know that carp are beneficial. They’re a natural part of the Murray River making them essential to the ecosystem”.
When asked to elaborate on how they believed carp were beneficial to the river, despite outcompeting native fish like catfish they appeared puzzled and questioned why a carp would be on tinder.
The Riverlanderer 