PestSmart Factsheet: Fishing as a carp control method

While fishing (commercial or recreational) is not an effective means of carp control in itself, it can be a valuable component of an integrated carp management program. Localised recreational carp fishing competitions, for example, are popular in many parts of Australia. Commercial carp fishing occurs in Victoria, South Australia and (irregularly) in New South Wales. [...]

NSW Carp Control Plan 2010

Industry & Investment NSW (I&I NSW) has recently finalised a control plan for carp in NSW. A draft control plan was released for public comment from November 2009 through January 2010. Comments received on the draft have been taken into consideration and incorporated where possible in the development of the final control plan. I&I NSW would like [...]

Carp in NSW: Assessment of distribution, fishery and fishing methods

The introduced common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is now widespread through much of inland New South Wales. Carp are considered a major pest and contributor to the environmental degradation of many inland waterways and reduction of native fish populations. Consequently, there has been considerable ongoing research, both nationally and within NSW, into ways of controlling carp [...]

Testing methods and ecological consequences of large-scale removal of common carp

Introduced carp are widely distributed in NSW.  They dominate many of the fish communities within their range, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin.  The successful establishment and spread of carp is aided by their tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions, good mobility and high reproductive output.  These characteristics make carp persistent pests that are [...]

Development of cyanide for feral pig and fox control

This report provides an overview of a series of pig- and fox-baiting research projects conducted 2005–2010, investigating the use of cyanide as a bait, particularly for disease sampling. It summarises the outcomes of various pen and field trials, and provides recommendations for future research. The report will provide a useful reference document to support further [...]

M-44 Ejector Field Trial Updates

The Southern Branch of the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service funded a field trial of M-44 ejector devices using 1080 for wild dog and fox control. M-44 ejectors are baited, spring-activated devices that propel the contents of a capsule into the mouth of a wild dog or fox as it pulls upwards with sufficient force [...]

PestSmart Factsheet: Fox Bounties

Bounty systems offer financial incentives to hunt and destroy pest animals. Bounty systems offer what appears to be a simple solution to pest animal problems by providing financial rewards to reduce pest numbers. However, reviews of past bounty schemes from Australia and around the world show that they are an ineffective form of pest animal [...]

PestSmart: Frequently asked questions about HOG­­­­­­­‑GONE®

Factsheet covering frequently asked questions about HOG­­­­­­­‑GONE® feral pig baits in Australia. Some of the questions covered include: What is HOG­­­­­­­‑GONE® and how does it work? Is sodium nitrite really more humane than existing feral pig baits? Isn’t nitrite a strictly controlled substance? Can I use standard meat preserving nitrite for feral pig control? What [...]

Pest birds

Feral cat

Fox

Effective implementation of regional fox control programs

Final report on a study conducted by the Vertebrate Pest Research Unit (VPRU), NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to determine if there is a relationship between lamb survival and the frequency, timing and spatial coverage of fox-control programs. The study took advantage of existing agricultural fox-management programs across 4.5 million hectares in regional New [...]

Feral horse

Workshop proceedings: Improving the efficiency of rabbit eradications on islands

Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) have been nominated as among ‘100 of the world’s worst’ invaders (Global Invasive Species Database 2009), in recognition of their extensive damage to biodiversity and difficulty to eradicate. The Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre hosted an international workshop in February 2010 to share and progress knowledge and experience of rabbit eradications, particularly [...]

The Tarbaby Technique for poisoning rabbits in Kinchega National Park, Menindee, NSW

Rabbit warrens in a 4000 ha study site on Kinchega National Park, Menindee, in semiarid western NSW, were plotted onto aerial photographs. The warrens were distributed over five habitats characterized by soil type and vegetation associations. The 400 warrens found were used to assess the “Tarbaby” (poison 1080 made into a sticky mixture) method of [...]

An assessment of the Tarbaby method of rabbit control in New South Wales

This report describes a practical assessment of the Tarbaby method of poisoning rabbits in the district of the Pastures Protection Board at Young, New South Wales. Detailed observations on the effect of Tarbaby poisoning on rabbits were made on a small study site near Murringo. One area was treated three times and an adjacent area [...]

Utilization of the grooming habit for poisoning rabbits

A new method of poisoning rabbits by making use of their grooming behaviour is described. The technique consists of laying a trail of a greasy substance carrying a poison (lanolin carrying sodium fluoroacetate was used) along the floor of the burrow. Rabbits tread on the trail, then on to the soil, and ingest the poison [...]

Invasive Species Managment Plan for the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA

Invasive species have been recognised as the key problem in the Border Rivers-Gwydir catchment which was found in a 2007- 08 survey titled ‘Understanding Natural Resource Management from a Landholders Perspective’. The top four items selected by respondents as a major or moderate problem were pests, including: environmental weeds, introduced animal pests, crop weeds and [...]

Increasing the effectiveness of wild dog trapping programs

The use of leghold traps to capture wild dogs is a well accepted control method across Australia. Furthermore, research into trap humaneness and remote trap monitoring systems, along with the provision of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) for wild dog trapping programs, acknowledge the value of leghold traps as an effective wild dog management tool. In [...]

Use of Llamas as livestock guarding animals to limit the incidence of sheep predation by wild dogs (Canis lupus dingo) and foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Livestock guarding animals (LGA’s) are used across the United States and Europe to limit the incidence of predation by native and introduced predators on domestic livestock. Within Australia dog breeds such as Maremma, Anatolian mastiff (Karabash) and Great Pyrenees are currently in use along with Alpacas, Llamas and in some cases donkeys. The use of [...]