Locals angered after authorities fail to clamp down on koi 'menace' wreaking havoc in Hauraki Plains

April 23, 2021

Locals have taken to hunting koi carp with bows and arrows as the population explodes.

They’re dubbed the “rats of the river” and they are wreaking havoc in the Hauraki Plains, but locals say authorities aren’t clamping down on koi carp.

Some, like Kyle and Jordan Morland, are going after the giant orange pest fish themselves, armed with bows and arrows.

The father and son duo have been hunting koi carp in the Waihou River near Paeroa for nearly a decade.

“We’re just a small minority of people who like getting koi out of our waterways,” Kyle said.

“Any dead koi’s a good koi,” Jordan added.

They’ve seen the population of the pest fish explode in the region, causing its waterways to degrade.

“There’s a lot more sludge floating around now, the water’s a lot browner. Not as many trout, I’ve noticed,” Kyle said.

Waikato Regional Council's chairman has met with many farmers, who say koi carp are damaging the banks on their land.

“It’s going to affect the economy of our country in many ways," Russ Rimmington said.

“These koi carp are a menace.”

Koi carp lay millions of eggs, making it near impossible to control.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) wants boaties to check, clean and dry their vessels when moving between waterways.

“We need the public's help... it’s too big of a job for just DOC,” technical advisor Matthew Brady said.

While a lot of work is done in waterways near Huntly where koi carp are rampant, hunters in neighbouring areas want to see more done, before it’s too late.

“We’re only a matter of years before we become like Huntly,” Kyle said.

But Brady said DOC doesn’t have enough resources and tools to effectively cover the entire country.

“It’s not something that’s being ignored or unknown. We are working to deal with them.”

That’s struck the ire of Waikato Regional Council’s chairman.

“There’s no management. Everyone’s running for the hills,” Rimmington said.

There has never been an official count of pest fish numbers in the Hauraki waters, but DOC said it’s considering one.

Waikato Regional Council is injecting an extra $250,000 later this year into koi carp management, but that isn't winning over locals.

“Whether it comes over to us [in Paeroa] is another story,” Kyle said.

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