So did anyone but me catch this?
 

The Nature Conservancy - Calcasieu Lake, West Cove Area

http://reports.dnr.state.la.us/repor...w_appl_email=N

They have placed these type reefs out in several locations across the state Grand isle, St. Bernard, and VBay. Very worthwhile project. Success with oysters varies with salinity changes - too salty means more oyster drills, too fresh and they grow poorly. West cove may be a perfect location

When is this supposed to start construction?

I find it ironic that LWF allowed the abundant natural oyster reefs to be destroyed in West Cove only to have the Nature Conservancy come back and spend big money to replace them with artificial. Extremely poor management on the part of WLF of our resources imo.

You are 100% right

One thing is WLF were handicap with $$$$ bleeding down there neck from upper management to allow it to happen !

Called good ol La Politics

If CCA would of not tucked tail and ran they might of keep enough pressure on the WLF to close it last two years

But again CCA ran for the hills

Wonder if Raymond will post the attendants at CCA banquet ?
Or how many Guides were there ?

W, over half your post, in one form or another, seems to blame CCA for the devastation that the WLF commission allowed to happen. CCA didn't have squat to do with this issue. As you well pointed out LA politics, on a very localized level, came into play with the oyster and seafood lobbyist pushing for continued oyster dredging in Big Lake. To this date I see no local politicians from your area in favor of closing down the lake (please correct me if I'm wrong). Without local political support CCA would be reluctant to stick its nose in that debacle. The blame squarely falls on LA. WLF and the committee members who blindly approved the oyster harvest against scientific data that said otherwise. Don't use the shotgun approach and throw everyone under the bus but rather take an unbiased aim at the true culprits and hold them accountable. Diluting the issue with four or five other entities only confuses what really needs to be accomplished. I do hope for the long term good of Big Lake that CCA takes an active role in the fight to ban oyster dredging.

I place plenty of blame on WLF upper management along with local politics never denied that 1 time.
But what does CCA stand for ?

Yes they are to blame also because they basically stood by with hands in pocket and did not fight back !

You better believe if this issue was in Lake P they would of been head 1st last 5 years fighting !

I blame it 80% on CCA who failed the lake Charles , Cameron people for its lack of concern (if I'm wrong please correct me ).

We asked for help and we got a Save the Lake meeting which proved the lake was in bad shape oyster wise and that was end of it .

Not a pin drop
They had 1 failed bill to propose number of permits which was a joke from get go!

I sent emails , spoke with leaders etc and basically all I got was BS

It finally took to the almost endanger level for this new bill to happen !

W, we are both on the same side of this issue. Sometimes it takes a little butt kicking to get the right people involved to effect change for the better. I respect your views and support you 100% in eliminating the over harvest of oysters in BL. Thank you for your constant involvement!
I've been blessed with being able to fish BL for the past 40 years. The last 5 years have been less than stellar. I blame it on the lack of live active oyster reefs through the lake. Most areas where I use to fish in 2-3ft depths over reefs are now 5-6ft deep with no shell bottom. I'm not talking about a hump here or there but acres upon acres of reefs that are today non existent from West Cove up to Heberts and beyond.
What Nature Conservacy is doing is great but its just a scratch on the surface. The whole lake needs to be highly monitored and re-seeded by the State (since they're to blame) and not just throw rock piles in the water. We need to return those living, growing oyster reefs back. Hope I see it in my life time.....

Unless I plugged the coordinates in wrong, this should be an interesting location as its just north of the mouth of the canal from the Sabine NWR Launch, which is where there are a ton of crab traps.

West Cove is TKOed for sure , I don't know how long it would take for some of these reefs to come back to normal but I would think 4-7 years maybe with tong only
Maybe faster with 100% closure.

But you and I both know when the sun goes down the outlaws will be full force dredredging under the moon light !

Its 32,000 linear feet, so it will be a very long structure. This is an example. The ones in Grand Isle are good fishing spots

Hate to catch one of those on a falling tide! Hopefully it will get all them crab traps farther away from the mouth. Its like running through a minefield there.

IMO the WLF sold their self short when trying to make new oysters reefs . They did not build a big and thick enough foundation . The 1st one south behind old Jetties was silted up in less than 2 years

They needed to make that base 3ft higher that way when it settled out it would of keep the bed high enough to grow oysters. Going over it with deptfinder it does not have more than few inches above the lake bottom .
Another money waist down the drain .. fish don't even hold on it very good

Other news
HB -156 passes in House 94-1

Cool hopefully our emails to the Rep helped but maybe the did the right thing without all of the emails and calls to act.

I find this kind of information really interesting, thanks for sharing. I never thought of a man made reef being as simple as that. I didn't get to grow up around any of this but I like to read on these things every chance I get. It seems the laws keep changing and new bills keep getting proposed. Unfortunately it always seems that the more upper class areas get the help first.

Great....Thanks CCA

Don't see why y'all wanna put the hard working oystermen out of business. They are just providing for their families and providing oysters Supply and demand. Bet half people on this board eat oysters. They don't come from the sky. Guess we gonna import oysters from Florida now

HB-156 don't put them out of business
So before you comment please know what your talking about
Thanks have a great day !

If anything HB-156 will ensure that oyster fishermen are able to make a living in the future by preserving the resource. How would the oyster fisherman be able to make a living if there are no reefs left at all?