Quote:
Originally Posted by Smalls
At one point, I could have offered that information pretty accurately. I'm out of the loop now.
I can answer some of those though.
The weirs are bid out now, at least they were at one point. USFWS quit operation after many years of dealing with disgruntled public. I do not know who is in control now. Call LDWF, NRCS, or USFWS. I'm sure one of them knows. Or the Cameron-Creole Advisory committee.
I have a few different documents outlining the plan, or variations of it. Maybe I can upload them one day.
Salinity levels are based on isohaline lines. There is a 5 ppt and 12 ppt line. When the salinity reaches 5 ppt at the 5 ppt line, closure is triggered. Water depth, as far as I know, does not dictate closure.
Look up USGS Water Resources and CRMS. Those systems both have monitoring stations in the lake and Marsh. I do not remember exact sstations anymore, but I was very familiar with those systems during my research.
Its not as simple as just knowing the salinity though. Its about vegetation salinity tolerances as well. There are reports out there on the Cameron-Creole, monitoring reports, that outline the history if the area. Several thousand acres of fresh Marsh were lost because of excess salinity.
MG, you are more than welcome to come to my house sometime and look at these things. I have more information than I care to even try and upload and post. Old vegetation maps, reports, etc.
The weirs are not there to manage duck food, although the Marsh does provide duck food, habitat, fish habitat, fur bearer and alligator habitat, etc. The primary purpose was to maintain a viable ecosystem, which was dieing at a rapid rate.
Again, these things are in various reports I've read over the years.
Most of this I have stated before. I've always used facts to back up my argument.
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Thanks for such a detailed answer, truly appreciated.
5 ppt is a pretty low salinity for closing the weirs, no wonder they stay closed most of the time. I'm sure that threshold is justified based on the needs of the vegetation behind them, but wow! It would be nice if greater consideration could be given to the needs of the ecosystem as a whole, not just the vegetation behind the weirs. I think we need to work to bring the salinity in the lake down. If 35 ppt is common in the lake, then the oysters are in danger too.
I took the liberty of posting a big fish for you. It would make a great profile pic.