calcasieu lake and oyster task force

["W"]

Originally Posted by Finfeatherfur

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.

Now she is in the Medical field...and maybe she went to school for that title but I have never read one document from her on oysters .

["W"]

Here is a map of the fire line........Is not exact but this is what I can tell from the Pipes placed now....

here is the major Oyster beds we have in the area....

and I have counted at least 50 boats working this area everyday of the season...

And we do not re seed oysters as we have natural beds....

Yes you can rape them and over harvest!

[cajunhntr03]

No longer the lines The oyster boats have been allowed to move north Kiss Commisary goodbye Some harvesting is good but when you overharvest an area its not gunna be good for the longterm outlook for that reef

["W"]

Originally Posted by cajunhntr03

No longer the lines The oyster boats have been allowed to move north Kiss Commisary goodbye Some harvesting is good but when you overharvest an area its not gunna be good for the longterm outlook for that reef

They cant oyster Commissary

[Finfeatherfur]

So instead of fighting the oyster lease holders, why don't we focus the attention where it needs to be placed? If the beds are not re-seeded in Big Lake, but they are elsewhere - why is that?

I depart Bayou Dularge on any given morning to witness a hundred oyster boats staffed by hispanics with no regard for our resources. I return to see them sitting at the dock, throwing trash in the water, and doing things to our waterways you can not imagine. The state does a good job of monitoring their harvest on my end down there, but the enforcement of their other issues sucks.

[Asterisk-Rich]

Originally Posted by "W"

They cant oyster Commissary

you think you can get FFF a job at NASA?

[boatdriver]

Originally Posted by Finfeatherfur

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!

FFF...I am out there everyday, literally. I am a guide on the lake and talk to several of the oysterman on a regular basis. One of them is a guy a little younger than me. This guy has done this with his dad and uncles for years. He has tod me that they are raping the lake. Last year, oyster boats were bringing in over 1000, yes, this is accurate, 1000 sacks of oysters a day. This was from both Cameron and Hackberry seafood buyers. Now, with no reseeding, as in the east, how in the hell is an oyster supposed to have time grow. It takes an oyster 3 years to become mature enough to harvest for the 3" minimum in Big Lake. I asked my buddy if there are any "humps" left in the lake anymore, his response was probably not. While I know he has to make a living, there should still be some better management practices. Like Raymond said, it's the state's mentallity, to get as much as you can. A game warden friend of our lodge was telling us they were ticketing boats that were going back 2 or 3 times a day. It was worth it to the oysterman to pay the fine because they could afford to pay it with the profits of their 2 to 3 loads a day. The same guy would own 2 or more boats and just use those different tags. My buddy also suggested strongly that tonging should be and probabaly will be the way to do it next year. THe base of the reefs are there, but they are flat and barren. You can drag a leadhead across some of those reefs and not lose it.

BD

[boatdriver]

Originally Posted by "W"

They cant oyster Commissary

Pretty sure they can.

[Finfeatherfur]

Originally Posted by boatdriver

FFF...I am out there everyday, literally. I am a guide on the lake and talk to several of the oysterman on a regular basis. One of them is a guy a little younger than me. This guy has done this with his dad and uncles for years. He has tod me that they are raping the lake. Last year, oyster boats were bringing in over 1000, yes, this is accurate, 1000 sacks of oysters a day. This was from both Cameron and Hackberry seafood buyers. Now, with no reseeding, as in the east, how in the hell is an oyster supposed to have time grow. It takes an oyster 3 years to become mature enough to harvest for the 3" minimum in Big Lake. I asked my buddy if there are any "humps" left in the lake anymore, his response was probably not. While I know he has to make a living, there should still be some better management practices. Like Raymond said, it's the state's mentallity, to get as much as you can. A game warden friend of our lodge was telling us they were ticketing boats that were going back 2 or 3 times a day. It was worth it to the oysterman to pay the fine because they could afford to pay it with the profits of their 2 to 3 loads a day. The same guy would own 2 or more boats and just use those different tags. My buddy also suggested strongly that tonging should be and probabaly will be the way to do it next year. THe base of the reefs are there, but they are flat and barren. You can drag a leadhead across some of those reefs and not lose it.

BD

So, I still don't understand why they do not re-seed Big Lake. Can anyone help me understand that? I mean not taking anything away from you guys, but they have 14 trailers that load up across from our camp everyday - 7 days a week and that takes a lot more than the oysters they harvest in Big Lake each day.

[boatdriver]

Originally Posted by Finfeatherfur

So, I still don't understand why they do not re-seed Big Lake. Can anyone help me understand that? I mean not taking anything away from you guys, but they have 14 trailers that load up across from our camp everyday - 7 days a week and that takes a lot more than the oysters they harvest in Big Lake each day.

Good question that I, or anyone that I talk to knows the answer to. Is it because of it being a public oystering ground? I have no idea. It's definitely a problem that needs to be addressed.

[Finfeatherfur]

Originally Posted by boatdriver

Good question that I, or anyone that I talk to knows the answer to. Is it because of it being a public oystering ground? I have no idea. It's definitely a problem that needs to be addressed.

This may be something that can be addressed at the upcoming meetings. This could be a great project for Saltycajun to take up in arms and make this a project for us. I know one thing for sure, the oyster men from down in Terrebonne have it going on because those guys actually have reef "growth" down there at record paces, even with the storms!

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Finfeatherfur

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"!

Ol Mutt Mechanic is he, maybe he will chime in.

http://www.saltycajun.com/forum/show...t=16465&page=5

Good discussion

[mstulb]

Completely agree, some of these reefs in westcove were so thick with oysters it was like concrete. We wade these reefs & flats and there exactly how Boat Driver explained barren hard bottom. No oyster growth there sine last spring.



QUOTE=boatdriver;229139]FFF...I am out there everyday, literally. I am a guide on the lake and talk to several of the oysterman on a regular basis. One of them is a guy a little younger than me. This guy has done this with his dad and uncles for years. He has tod me that they are raping the lake. Last year, oyster boats were bringing in over 1000, yes, this is accurate, 1000 sacks of oysters a day. This was from both Cameron and Hackberry seafood buyers. Now, with no reseeding, as in the east, how in the hell is an oyster supposed to have time grow. It takes an oyster 3 years to become mature enough to harvest for the 3" minimum in Big Lake. I asked my buddy if there are any "humps" left in the lake anymore, his response was probably not. While I know he has to make a living, there should still be some better management practices. Like Raymond said, it's the state's mentallity, to get as much as you can. A game warden friend of our lodge was telling us they were ticketing boats that were going back 2 or 3 times a day. It was worth it to the oysterman to pay the fine because they could afford to pay it with the profits of their 2 to 3 loads a day. The same guy would own 2 or more boats and just use those different tags. My buddy also suggested strongly that tonging should be and probabaly will be the way to do it next year. THe base of the reefs are there, but they are flat and barren. You can drag a leadhead across some of those reefs and not lose it.

BD[/QUOTE]

[eman]

Originally Posted by boatdriver

Good question that I, or anyone that I talk to knows the answer to. Is it because of it being a public oystering ground? I have no idea. It's definitely a problem that needs to be addressed.

If all these reefs are public there is the reason they are not being seeded. Although i didn't thinkyou could commercial fish public beds?
All the seeding that is going on in S.E. La. is being done by lease holders on their own leases.
They aren't stupid. they know that if they don't reseed a part of their lease every year ,in a few years there won't be any oysters to harvest.
The state is not going to spend money to reseed public oyster beds are they?

[Gerald]

Here is a picture of 2 oyster boats in the south end of Big Lake back in Apr. 2010.

I rode around the south part of the lake and into West Cove that day. I must have seen 30 or 40 oyster boats. There was steady boat traffic of them going back to Cameron and other boats return to the lake.

I caught no fish in that area.......water was muddy from the dredging.

[Paul Constance]

Its my understanding that there is research supporting and condeming dredging. I personally see the reefs in the Washout area disappearing and the water clarity getting worse. I see the reefs in Westcove getting raped as well. I do however think that there has to be a happy medium as the oyster fishermen need to make a living also. I like the idea of rotating between dredging and tonging. Dredge 1 year and tong for 3. We also need to look back at the reason Sabine was shut to oystering. Just my opinion and we know what opinions are like.

[ckinchen]

Originally Posted by Finfeatherfur

This may be something that can be addressed at the upcoming meetings. This could be a great project for Saltycajun to take up in arms and make this a project for us. I know one thing for sure, the oyster men from down in Terrebonne have it going on because those guys actually have reef "growth" down there at record paces, even with the storms!

I like the idea of SaltyCajun getting involved. If you guys can find out who the issue should be addressed to I would be happy to get the ball rolling.

["W"]

We need to send him our thoughts on the Oyster Process in Big Lake

Lt. Colonel Keith LaCaze klacaze@wlf.louisiana.gov.

[jchief]

Can someone post the article here for everyone to see please?

I don't have an e subscription

[mstulb]

Originally Posted by W";229334]We need to send him our thoughts on the Oyster Process in Big Lake

Lt. Colonel Keith LaCaze [EMAIL="klacaze@wlf.louisiana.gov.

klacaze@wlf.louisiana.gov.[/EMAIL]

Sent W thanks for the info