Redfish and Specks Benefit from Limited Weir Closings

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by wishin i was fishin

True dat Smalls, true dat. The increase in diversion projects there is a finite amount of water and sediment to feed them. our only hope is that will reduce the water flowing through the Atchafalaya diversion. i could go on for a while but don't want to hijack the thread.

So, back to the weirs...Has anything changed from last year?

Not really. The evidence is convincing that the weirs are being operated according to the management plan which incorporates some pretty good science.

The available evidence also suggests that since the gates in the weirs are at least 40% open most of the time and never less than 10% open, there is ample flow of forage between the marsh and lake that weir closures are not having any negative impact on the lake.

Seasonal variations in what anglers see is more dependent on where the fish are chasing forage than an actual dearth or abundance of fish. The weirs concentrate the fish were they are easy to catch. Last year, when there was a dry spell and the weirs were closed, the fish were eating very well, but they were eating pogies and bait fish spread throughout the lake rather than stacking up at the weirs.

The closing of the Omega protein plant lead to a very healthy age zero class of pogies last summer. This changed the speck pattern and frustrated anglers, but the specks were well fed and began to be caught with regularity again by fall. The moving of that pogie harvest has probably done more for the fishery for the next few years than leaving the weirs open 100% of the time ever could have.

As far as I can tell, oyster dredging, salinity, erosion, and loss of marsh are the biggest issues threatening the fishery.