Redfish and Specks Benefit from Limited Weir Closings

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by T-TOP

I have been looking into the whole oyster issue for a while now. It appears that the main problem with the oysters is that the salinity levels in the lake are too high. There is data to back this up. The upcoming salinity control projects would be good for the oysters and hopefully would possibly allow the weirs to be open almost all the time.

There is a lot of truth here, in that the high salinities are the main problem in recovery of the oysters after the major overharvesting event on the E side in 2010.

Reducing salinity is one key issue to the future of the oyster reefs in the estuary.

But it was over harvesting rather than salinity that created the original problem back in 2010. Oyster harvesting was closed in most of the state due to the oil spill, and tremendous harvest pressure was concentrated on Big Lake.

Addressing the salinity issue will likely allow the oysters to return to historical levels.

But keeping harvests at a modest and sustainable level is also key to long term productivity of the system.