On Friday the 1st and Saturday the 2nd of March the Inland Fisheries Service, supported by Caring For Our Country attended the 35th Bothwell International Highland Spin-In and Fiber Festival. The event attracted a range of people from all over the globe, who all shared an interest in the crafts and skills associated with Tasmania’s superfine wool industry. Although the festival was not focused on freshwater fishing, the small rural town of Bothwell based in the Central Highlands hosts a significant community of anglers.

Significant interest and support was shown from not only local and interstate anglers, but also members of the public who were aware of the carp issue just half an hour away in Lake Sorell. Even groups of young school children recognized that carp were a pest fish species in Tasmania. Many interstate visitors expressed their surprise at having successfully eradicated carp from Lake Crescent, and the efforts going in to achieving the same result in Lake Sorell. This is an enormous contrast to the carp situation on the mainland, where eradication is not possible, and management/containment is the only option.

There were giveaways of stickers, rulers, magnets, angler access brochures, as well as the current angling code for this season which was received well by the public. Many people who approached the stalls were either keen trout fishers, or had friends or family members who fished. The impact the IFS has on the community of Bothwell was evident, with many people recognising the work done in managing commercial and recreational freshwater fisheries.