calcasieu lake and oyster task force
 

Anyone else read the article in the American Press this morning?

Sounds like they are trying to move the open area further north because there are no oysters left down south.

There goes the estuary.

I'll try and find it online and see if I can post it.

Now that you say that yesterday I saw an oyster boat around turners feeling around with a pole for oysters. They need to get the hell out of the lake! You cant fish west cove without them all around you.

the corruption goes so deep with the LDWF it's unreal

Easy guys..............it takes oyster harvest to make oyster reefs, so in theory, this may be a good thing. Not sure how many of you guys know Lara Ballard, formerly w/ CCA and the LDWF, but she is a biologist. She has also given some good data on research which shows the harvest of oysters makes the reefs grow and remain healthy. It just sucks that some of the boats are so nasty and treat the area crappy!

I don't doubt the science,only our states lack of leardership on the issue of harvest. The mindset of many in our state is get as much as you can as fast as you can. Can't take 100% of the resource and have any left for the future but some will never understand this logic.

No
 

This is absolutely wrong. If this were the case, no oyster reefs would have originated anywhere without the great help of oyster fisherman. They do way way more harm than good they desacrate reefs to the point where they are barren. Two huge reefs in west cove are gone nothing but flat hard ground NOTHING, I have waded these flats for years and the reefs are gone. Nothing grone back since last oyster season..

In an age where pasturized oysters are so prevalent it makes no sense at all to rape our natural reefs. Which act as filtrition to our lakes water. Also provide feeding and spawning areas for our fish in Calcasieu..

No more dreading! Send them back to polling for there oyster

On these oyster reef projects one of the limiting resources for these projects is actually finding leftover shells to put in place for the reefs. Oyster larvae ('spat') have to find a hard surface to attach to, and this is where leftover oyster shells come into play. Once they have a hard surface to attach to they can multiply and expand. I listened to a talk on oysters not long ago and in Louisiana we get to 'spat runs' a year which was interesting. Also, another topic came up and that was Sabine Lake. I have never been there, but surely many of you have. In the south end of the lake is a HUGE oyster reef that hasn't been harvested in years. Can't remember how long, but this thing is huge and is coming up for reopening either this year or next year. Well, it hasn't been harvested in years, so there is NO reason to allow harvest now, the oystermen have been doing fine without this being open. When they were taking samples the biologists were amazed at the clarity of water near the reef.

Ughhhh! it is just like the dog hunting debate! Some people can not put personal feelings aside to see the truth and will only believe what they want to think is true because of what they percieve.

You obviously have not been to the real oyster grounds of south LA from Dularge down to Lafite. If you would spend anytime at all down there you would understand. Big Lake is a very small estuary compared to those areas with as many or more sport fisherman. Thus, a whole different problem occurs - fishing pressure. The fishing around Dularge, where my dad has a camp is fantastic, and we have a ton of oyster boats. Now, I hate them for a different reason, but you obviously know nothing about oyster harvesting, and your statement is funny!

Harvesting oysters will help a reef grow... Its is true... But raping oysters reefs like we are seeing in big lake is a different story! You should tong for 3 years than dredge for one...

And FFF Lara Ballard is not a Biologist

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It does help promote growth of reefs and ur right it prob does work out in a larger area, but having 70 oyster boats dragging chains and wire baskets within a mile radius Leaving Absoltuly Nothing behind is sickening all I'm saying



QUOTE=Finfeatherfur;229099]Ughhhh! it is just like the dog hunting debate! Some people can not put personal feelings aside to see the truth and will only believe what they want to think is true because of what they percieve.

You obviously have not been to the real oyster grounds of south LA from Dularge down to Lafite. If you would spend anytime at all down there you would understand. Big Lake is a very small estuary compared to those areas with as many or more sport fisherman. Thus, a whole different problem occurs - fishing pressure. The fishing around Dularge, where my dad has a camp is fantastic, and we have a ton of oyster boats. Now, I hate them for a different reason, but you obviously know nothing about oyster harvesting, and your statement is funny![/QUOTE]

I don't get it Jeremy! Who says they are raping the oysters, you guys are out there more than I am. However, I am in Dularge more than you guys are and see the Oyster Navy departing the docks and that area supports oyster harvest 500 times more than Big Lake. Yet, the area is actually growing in oyster harvest year over year.

Either way, the oyster fisherman have a right to bid on the lease when the state opens the bottoms up for lease. And the state is trying to get these guys back up and running following a huge shut down last year from the spill. So, I hope that the states biologist are well recieved and the wishes and science of the biolgist is the deciding factor. Unlike the creel limit debate of Big Lake where the science went into the trash can, I will wait to see what develops!

I agree 110%...

I think the 2 fish over 25 inch rule is very effective, or are you just referring to the 15 fish?

Why do I only see them in west cove mostly?

FFF east seed oyster beds....we don't! East has thousands of oyster beds to cover we don't! We have from old tank batteries south to old jetties then all of west cove...which is a small area and a big number of boats oystering same reefs everyday...how can they grow when you rape them to the mud line every year

I told y'all when all the oil spill stuff was going on over here y'all were gonna complain about the oysters.

There is a fella on here that works directly with oyster research and LDWF, I would like to hear his take on this and oyster biology in general.

May want to call her.......yes she is and I know that for a fact. She was not working as a biologist for CCA, but she is.

Please do what you can to have him chime in on this topic!!!!! Oyster boats harvesting oysters does not automatically mean the lake is getting "raped"!

FFF, I agree 100% that harvesting "some" helps, but why do they have to open it further north if the reefs "supposedly" regrow quickly?

I whole heartedly believe the dredges and the way they are operating now will severly harm the estuary. There are more licenses being issued every year. Where does it stop?