Oysters in BL

[CharlieFoxtrot]

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/sh...topics/1420242

[jl8200]

Hmm....very interesting. So the discussion in the link on 2cool says that West Cove is pretty much ***ed. What is everyone else's experience or opinion on that? I was thinking I would start fishing West Cove more to learn it better but maybe im wasting my time.

[MathGeek]

The best reefs are on the E side, to the N side of the lake where salinity levels are lower and the harvest has been restricted for many years.

[B-Stealth]

Pop quiz.

Can anyone tell me what organizations have funded the construction of artificial reefs in the Calcasieu estuary?

[ThePinkBanana]

There are so many problems on big lake that need to be addressed or the estuary is going to continue to get worse. How come Sabine can get no oyster dredging at all but BL can't? How come we have weirs but they don't? It's the same song and dance every time we talk about this... And what it boils down to is MONEY. The oyster industry creates millions, and the duck blinds behind the weirs are owned by the people with the money.... Yet recreational fishing is also a billion dollar industry that puts a ton of money back into the economy. There needs to be a happy medium and it seems like our lake is going to progressively get worse until something is done... But let's not forget... In order for things to be done... It takes money.... Where will this money come from??? My outrageous tax rates I pay?? Probably not. The CCA?? Hell no... We need help from an organization or the state that can afford to spend millions... Very excited about the fish hatchery they are building... But we have a ton of other things that I feel like are higher priority like erosion prevention at the washout/ 9 mile area, and the oyster raping in WC.

["W"]

Did i see a post that said

Putting my $$$ where my mouth is !!!

I can see it now !!! Sunshine pumpers interview after artifical reef installed that still did not solve
Oystering dredging , erosion , weirs control

“You’re talking to the Rolex wearin’, diamond ring wearin’, kiss stealin’, wheelin’ dealin’, limousine ridin’, jet flyin’ son of a gun. And I’m having a hard time holding these alligators down. Woo!”

[B-Stealth]

Brad Vincent Reef---
The $450,000 reef is funded by the CCA’s Building Conservation Fund through a major endowment from Shell Oil, with matching funds coming from the state of Louisiana’s Artificial Reef Trust Fund.

That's where the money comes from, it does not come from *****ing little girls on the internet.

If *****ing like little girls made Oyster Reefs, Big Lake would be a mountain.

[bobo23]

I haven't been around BL for long and maybe some of you more experienced guys can comment on this. But man, the number oyster fisherman in WC this year were unbelievable. Tons of guys out there every day. Seems like 24/7. Can't believe there's an oyster left. Seriously though, that kind of pressure has to put a serious dent in the reefs. Is that kind of pressure sustainable?

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by B-Stealth

Pop quiz.

Can anyone tell me what organizations have funded the construction of artificial reefs in the Calcasieu estuary?

10 times the money used to construct artifical reefs in Louisiana has been used by this organization to construct living oyster reefs in Galveston Bay.

Anyone who has spent time fishing the Calcasieu estuary knows that there already a lot of hard substrate (jetties, rocks, pilings, weirs, industrial fixtures, etc.)

Dumping more rocks is of far less benefit that restoring living oyster reefs that provide a wealth of ecosystem services including: filtering of water for increased light penetration and primary production, buffering of anthropogenic inputs, improving water quality, increasing benthopelagic coupling, improved benthic biodiversity, improved habitat for epibenthic invertebrates, carbon sequestration, and augmented fish production.

Of course, CCA is aware that oyster reefs are far more beneficial to an ecosystem than non-living material, which is why TX gets the oyster reefs, and LA gets rock dumps.

[T-TOP]

The living reefs built on south end of lake have died due to salinity conditions in lake. 50 acre living reef will be built this year north of the harvest line. Until salinity levels are controlled the oysters on south end of lake will suffer, unless it just keeps raining.


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[B-Stealth]

Originally Posted by T-TOP

The living reefs built on south end of lake have died due to salinity conditions in lake. 50 acre living reef will be built this year north of the harvest line. Until salinity levels are controlled the oysters on south end of lake will suffer, unless it just keeps raining.


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Who is funding this project?

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by T-TOP

The living reefs built on south end of lake have died due to salinity conditions in lake. 50 acre living reef will be built this year north of the harvest line. Until salinity levels are controlled the oysters on south end of lake will suffer, unless it just keeps raining.

This is not exactly true. The reefs in the S end of the lake were destroyed by overharvesting, including a lot of illegal taking, in 2010.

High salinity levels have prevented the reefs from coming back and hindered restoration efforts, but it is well documented that overharvesting, rather than high salinity killed the reefs.

Since lower salinity levels are needed to restore reefs (or build new ones), restoration efforts do well to proceed further N in the lake where salinity levels are lower. Building of reefs for habitat improvement also does well to work in areas protected from harvest.

["W"]

Originally Posted by B-Stealth

Brad Vincent Reef---
The $450,000 reef is funded by the CCA’s Building Conservation Fund through a major endowment from Shell Oil, with matching funds coming from the state of Louisiana’s Artificial Reef Trust Fund.

That's where the money comes from, it does not come from *****ing little girls on the internet.

If *****ing like little girls made Oyster Reefs, Big Lake would be a mountain.

450k on 100% donated material

Are you a brother n law ?

[B-Stealth]

Nope not a Brother in Law, but I'm trying to brings facts and logic into a discussion with people who are too emotionally attached to the perception of the EVIL CCA.

[T-TOP]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

This is not exactly true. The reefs in the S end of the lake were destroyed by overharvesting, including a lot of illegal taking, in 2010.

High salinity levels have prevented the reefs from coming back and hindered restoration efforts, but it is well documented that overharvesting, rather than high salinity killed the reefs.

Since lower salinity levels are needed to restore reefs (or build new ones), restoration efforts do well to proceed further N in the lake where salinity levels are lower. Building of reefs for habitat improvement also does well to work in areas protected from harvest.

I am refering to man made oyster reef. Built, growing, never harvested and died due to lake conditions. I am sure you are in contact with Patrick B. ask him he can explain it. The lack of oysters in the south end of the lake is thought to be due to lake conditions, not harvesting. Where is it documented? Not to argue that the oyster dredging should be stopped, I think it should. But don't get sidetracked into thinking that stopping that will cure the problem.

[T-TOP]

Originally Posted by B-Stealth

Who is funding this project?

The state of louisiana


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[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by T-TOP

The lack of oysters in the south end of the lake is thought to be due to lake conditions, not harvesting. Where is it documented?

[LDWF]. “L.D.W.F. Agents Cite Six Louisianans for Oyster Violations.” Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, March 18, 2011a. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 7 September 2012. www.wlf.louisiana.gov/news/33862

[LDWF]. “2011 Oyster Stock Assessment Report Of The Public Oyster Areas In Louisiana Seed Grounds and Seed Reservations.” Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, July, 2011.

[LDWF]. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries press release March 22, 2011 http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/news/33877 Accessed 11/2/11.

[LDWF]. “2012 Oyster Stock Assessment Information for the Public Oyster Areas of Louisiana.” Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, July, 2012. Harvest pressure was concentrated in Calcasieu that season because so many areas of the state were closed due to the oil spill.

No doubt that controlling salinity is key to oyster restoration, and that high salinity has hindered restoration efforts since 2011.

But the above references and attached figures make it clear that harvest pressure led to the oyster decline on the E side in the 2010-2011 harvest season.

[DaPointIsDaBomb]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

10 times the money used to construct artifical reefs in Louisiana has been used by this organization to construct living oyster reefs in Galveston Bay.

Anyone who has spent time fishing the Calcasieu estuary knows that there already a lot of hard substrate (jetties, rocks, pilings, weirs, industrial fixtures, etc.)

Dumping more rocks is of far less benefit that restoring living oyster reefs that provide a wealth of ecosystem services including: filtering of water for increased light penetration and primary production, buffering of anthropogenic inputs, improving water quality, increasing benthopelagic coupling, improved benthic biodiversity, improved habitat for epibenthic invertebrates, carbon sequestration, and augmented fish production.

Of course, CCA is aware that oyster reefs are far more beneficial to an ecosystem than non-living material, which is why TX gets the oyster reefs, and LA gets rock dumps.

Carbon sequestration? Like the Al Gore global warming stuff?

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by DaPointIsDaBomb

Carbon sequestration? Like the Al Gore global warming stuff?

Yeah, carbon sequestration is not a benefit that would have crossed my mind, but it gets mentioned as a benefit in most of the oyster restoration papers. And the idea is scientifically sound: oysters transfer carbon to their shells when they grow and the carbon is locked up in the shells for a long time before being released.

I don't buy that atmospheric carbon dioxide is a big problem, so I do not see carbon sequestration as a big benefit. But lots of environmental types do, and as long as we're advocating oyster reef restoration, why not include benefits that lots of environmental types think are very important?

[T-TOP]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

[LDWF]. “L.D.W.F. Agents Cite Six Louisianans for Oyster Violations.” Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, March 18, 2011a. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 7 September 2012. www.wlf.louisiana.gov/news/33862

[LDWF]. “2011 Oyster Stock Assessment Report Of The Public Oyster Areas In Louisiana Seed Grounds and Seed Reservations.” Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, July, 2011.

[LDWF]. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries press release March 22, 2011 http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/news/33877 Accessed 11/2/11.

[LDWF]. “2012 Oyster Stock Assessment Information for the Public Oyster Areas of Louisiana.” Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, July, 2012. Harvest pressure was concentrated in Calcasieu that season because so many areas of the state were closed due to the oil spill.

No doubt that controlling salinity is key to oyster restoration, and that high salinity has hindered restoration efforts since 2011.

But the above references and attached figures make it clear that harvest pressure led to the oyster decline on the E side in the 2010-2011 harvest season.

average salinity levels 2008-2013, 14.05, 15.27, 15.62, 20.56, 16.64, 17.95. oysters prefer the salinity below 15.00 to reproduce and be healthy.
Drill snails are a serious threat to oyster reefs also.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1429745184.947254.jpg