Fishing is not permitted at Blackburn Lake Sanctuary under Land for Wildlife status and City of Whitehorse Local Laws.
In former times, fishing damaged the lakeside vegetation, and lines and lures hooked or entangled water birds. Recreational fishing is permitted locally at Ringwood Lake and Lilydale Lake.
There are carp living in the lake. Carp are an introduced species which have affected the ecosystems of many of our waterways. Carp contribute greatly to the turbidity of the lake water as they are “bottom-feeders”, rifling through the muddy lake floor uprooting water plants and decreasing light and oxygen levels. The City of Whitehorse began a program in 1999 to improve the water quality. This involved surveys to assess the population and distribution of carp and other species in preparation for the removal of the carp.
Mosquito fish are also prevalent in the Lake. These are the small (4 to 6cm) grey/spotted black fish seen in the Lake. They are also an introduced species (from USA) spread around the world for mosquito control. Unfortunately the voracious meat eaters eat anything – tadpoles, good bugs and insects too, making them a major threat to our native species.