Freshwater turtles could be the solution to keeping the Murray-Darling clean and to helping eradicate carp from the river system, a study finds
The study was initially conducted to help conserve biodiversity in the river system.
"We are now seeing that scavenging is performing a role that potentially would cost a lot of money to do if we wanted to clear the carp mechanically or go out with boats and nets." "What would normally happen is that bacteria would break the carp down and release the nutrients into the water column, which can trigger things like blue-green algae and that's potentially what causes our rivers to turn green," Mr Spencer said.
Turtle populations in the basin have been declining because of predators such as foxes, cats and goannas preying on nests, and because of roadkill, marine disease and poor water quality due to water connectivity issues. The carp, which make up almost 90 per cent of the river's biomass, have had a devastating effect on the river's ecosystem and water quality.
"A lot of things must be done to prevent that from happening to control the foxes and cats particularly, but certainly anything's worth a try."
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