Mildura school students are encouraging locals to get fishing.

Two enterprising Mildura primary school students are encouraging locals to get out and go fishing.

Lucinda Mark and Sam Fletcher have teamed up with OzFish Unlimited, Mallee Catchment Management Authority and BCF – Boating, Camping, Fishing to coordinate a local event as part of national Gone Fishing Day on Sunday, October 20.

The day encourages Australians of all ages to get out and celebrate fishing.

Lucinda and Sam decided to run a fishing event as a school assignment. Their Catch a Carp Family Funday at the Mildura Marina will help bring attention to this invasive aquatic pest.

OzFish Unlimited and Mallee Catchment Management Authority say there is great value in assisting Lucinda and Sam and have supported the event with prizes, permits and providing expert advice.

Braeden Lampard, Project Manager – Murray Darling Basin for OzFish Unlimited was very proud of the young school children and their understanding of the environment.

“Aquatic pest species, such as carp are often found in degraded waterbodies and cause negative impact to native fish as they compete for food, habitats and are often one of the main predators for young native fish,” Mr Lampard said.

“It’s really great to see our youth get involved in caring for our environment. They are often more emotionally invested than us adults.

“There is also a push for females and for the younger generation to be more involved in recreational fishing, so it’s wonderful to see Lucinda and Sam wanting to run a catch a carp event and donate the money raised to a river restoration project.”

The event costs $5 to enter and all proceeds go towards assisting with a river restoration project.

You can pre-register on Saturday at the Mildura BCF – Boating Camping Fishing store from 10am to 12pm or on Sunday at the Dockside café from 9:00am.

Fishing starts at 9:30am and finishes at 1:00pm. The competition boundaries will be from the Mildura bridge to the Dockside café.

As well as having the opportunity to support an environmental program, participants will also be able to win over $1,000 worth of prizes including fishing gear and camping supplies.

To support more of this valuable work, donate to OzFish over the counter at any BCF-Boating, Camping, Fishing store.

OzFish Unlimited is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to protecting and restoring fish habitat throughout Australia and supporting recreational fishers in these actions. With the support of its major partner, BCF through their Give Back to Habitat initiative, it is now easier than ever for recreational fishers to make a difference.