To coincide with Artstate Lismore and a program of free activities in and around the city, local river health partners are hosting the inaugural Lismore River Festival and Carp Muster on Saturday, 2 December at Riverside Park.
The free family event includes fun activities for all ages, a carp fishing competition with more than $2000 worth of prizes, interesting information on river health and a chance to taste carp in all its culinary glory!
A quirky highlight of the event, the carp recipe demonstrations and tastings will be run by local chef Daniel Lange, who will teach brave festival-goers how to transform the European carp from an environmental pest into a tasty addition to your menu.
‘It will forever change the way you look at carp,’ Lismore City Council Environmental Strategies Officer Vanessa Tallon said.
‘Lots of people think of carp as a muddy river fish, but how it is caught and prepared makes all the difference to how this fish tastes. Daniel will definitely surprise people when he serves up his tasty dishes.’
The Northern Rivers Science Hub will host a speaker tent with talks on carp, river health, weed management and more.
Dr Matt Landos, Director of Future Fisheries Veterinary Service, will give a myth-busting talk about carp, covering river health, native fish decline and what we can do to reverse this.
John Larson, chair of OzFish Unlimited’s Richmond River Chapter, will give a talk called ‘Oysters… Not just good to Eat’ on the importance of oysters in our lower estuarine systems and river health.
Lismore City Council will have information on its Biodiversity Management Strategy projects including the Rural Landholder Initiative, and staff will give a talk on flood management planning for the future.
The Far North Coast Canoe Club will also run a come and try session from 1pm to 3pm from the Rowing Club boat ramp.
A full list of activities is as follows. Children must be supervised when participating in activities:
• Fishing from the riverbank – BYO gear and licence. Open to all ages with junior and senior prizes
• Free speakers tent
• Junior fishing clinic
• Carp cooking demos and tastings by Love Food Hate Waste chef Daniel Lange
• Far North Coast Canoe Club come and try session
• Carp filleting demos by Ballina Fisherman’s Co-op
• Displays by local fishing clubs and businesses
• Rous County Council book launch
• Tree planting
• Catchment health education and games including 3D catchment model and nest-box building
• Discovery trail activities
• Friends of the Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens plant sale
• Red Cross flood information
• Love Food Hate Waste activities and games
• Live music, coffee, food stalls and much more!
The Lismore River Festival and Carp Muster runs from 10am to 4pm in Riverside Park.
For more information, email Shae Kolk at [email protected] or phone 6681 6169.
The Lismore River Festival and Carp Muster is presented by Conservation Volunteers Australia, Lismore City Council, the Department of Primary Industries and OzFish, with additional support from the SES, Frogley’s Offshore, Bunnings, Ballina Camping and Disposal, Richmond Landcare Inc., the Northern Rivers Science Hub, the Lismore Workers Club, Friends of the Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens, EnviTE Environment and Rous Country Council.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
