Central Queensland University (CQU) Master of Applied Science graduate Ivor Stuart has won, with weir keeper Alan Williams, an Australian Museum Eureka Prize for a trap that collects 90% of carp without harming native fish.

“I spent the last five years chasing carp... and finally caught up with them,” he told Central Queensland University from his office in Victoria Monday.

Stuart - who is now with the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment - and Murray River weir keeper Alan Williams worked with colleagues at Goulburn Murray Water to devise the simple trap to catch the imported pest. As the carp swim upstream they are caught in one cage and then they jump out into a second cage, leaving native fish (which don’t jump) free to be released to continue their journey to upstream spawning.

Stuart, conducted research at spawning grounds and found if the carps were cut off by the trap it would go a long way in controlling the population. A 1999 CQU graduate, he first studied fishways on the Fitzroy River under the supervision of CQU’s Dr Steve McKillup..

“The impact of CQU on my research career has been enormous,” explained Stuart (pictured, in a white hat, with the trap).

“I learned pretty much about being a scientist and everything from Steve McKillup,” he added. Dr McKillup, Associate Professor of Biology at CQU, is the Head of the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences.

“It’s a great benefit to work with Steve. We still collaborate on some projects these days. There are not many people I work with who mean as much as Steve,” Stuart continued..

Steve McKillup said "Ivor was a great student to work with. He got things done without any fuss, he was highly organised and he was passionate about his research. He has published several scientific papers from his thesis, which was highly praised by the examiners. I'm delighted and not in the least surprised that Ivor has received a Eureka Award.".

The cage won’t remove all carp, according to Stuart, but it is a powerful new tool to control carp and help the recovery of native fish populations.

Carp is not a local pest issue in Central Queensland but Stuart warned that the Asian native had the potential to spread through tropical river systems. The fish has also infested rivers in New Zealand, North America and Europe. The team of developers have chosen not patent the cage so the technology will be freely available to be used in rivers across Australia and anywhere in the world.

The award was presented this month at the 15th annual Australian Museum Eureka Prizes dinner at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion.