A Brazilian weed-eating weevil is being introduced to Forest Lake in a long-term attempt to remove the entrenched salvinia weed, which has choked the lake and poisoned hundreds of kilograms of fish.

“It is natural pest which can chomp its way through and kill the actual plant itself so it sinks to the bottom of the lake,” local councillor Charles Strunk said.

Salvinia weed chokes Forest Lake in October 2018 before contractors cleared the lake in November 2018.

“Both the plant itself and the weevil came in from Brazil. Both the plant itself and the weevil were introduced by us, human beings. So we were not thinking too clearly.”

Salvinia is classified as one of Australia’s worst choking weeds.