Weirs Closed

[MathGeek]

They are comparable in some ways, not in others. Sabine probably is the single estuary that is more comparable with Calcasieu, but they are different in many ways also.

[toodeep]

Noodle I am not saying they are 100% comparable what I am saying I use to live there and think just like all of you and I now live on the east and see that they help out the west a lot more than you think they do.

[noodle creek]

Originally Posted by toodeep

Noodle I am not saying they are 100% comparable what I am saying I use to live there and think just like all of you and I now live on the east and see that they help out the west a lot more than you think they do.

Sorry, I wasn't referring to you, this goes way back.

[Capt.B]

Originally Posted by Smalls

Good news W. I talked to my buddy with LDWF. Biologists for LDWF don't work behind the weirs. He said that is fed territory. So did you talk to Agents? Not saying an agent wouldn't know what he's talking about, but I have known agents that had no biology background except fish or wildlife identification. Nothing wrong with that, they don't need anymore than that in most cases.

I understand your point about data, Capt. B, but there is decades of data on vegetation and salinity characteristics as they relate to the Cameron-Creole. There has also been research conducted on the effect of the weirs on ingress and egress of organisms. I have a few of those reports sitting in my office. You can also find them online.

So there is not a lack of data. Quite the contrary, there is an abundance of data. I have seen one report, can't remember if it is one I have laying around or its on the internet, but it clearly shows salinities dropped after installation of the weirs, which is beneficial to that marsh. I have a map somewhere that shows the vegetation communities from 1949. Most of that area was high quality Jamaican sawgrass marsh. That marsh type was a great muskrat habitat. The loss of that marsh type has a lot to do with the loss of muskrats, among other things.

I am sorry to hear that what was good duck habitat has been grown up with cattails. I hate cattails as much as I hate marsh loss. But historically, that marsh was brackish to fresh. There have been some areas to the east that have experienced a freshing over time, while areas more lakeward have experienced a slight increase in salt, and consequently, a change in marsh type.

The major issue pre-weirs was the increase in salt. As Delany (1989) pointed out, marshhay cordgrass, or wiregrass as many know it, was dying because of the constant, raised salinities. It was dying so rapidly that smooth cordgrass, or oystergrass, could not colonize. The net result was a loss of marsh, and increased open water.

At the same time, this is when shrimping and crabbing appear to have been at their height in the area, because there was an abundance of detritus. This provided an abundance of food for these organisms.

If anyone is legitimately interested in reading some of these papers, I will be glad to share them. If I can get some of the paper reports scanned in, I will be glad to share those too.

We have tons os muskrat mounds back there....and the lil f u c k e r s are eating my blind!!! LOL

[Capt.B]

Originally Posted by "w"

big lake problems in order and if you can find one person who spends more than 100 days out here on the water that disagrees i'll shut up
#1 ship channel erosion
#2 oyster dredging
#3 weirs closure
#4 marshes behind weirs

agreed x2

[redchaserron]

If you want to see what we are losing, and what they are trying to protect with the weirs, open Google Earth and zoom into Cameron prairie refuge. At the top of the page on Google earth is a clock face, click it and it will bring up a slider. Use your mouse to slide the slider back and forth and you will see images over the course of time, you can see the marsh opening up, good productive nursery environment turning to open water. I fish back there a lot, it's my playground for years and I've been shocked at the changes I see year to year due to erosion. Sure I'd like to have access to get back there all the time, but not at the much greater cost of losing the marsh. I'm amazed at how short sighted "conservation minded" fishermen become when measures necessary to protect the resource over the long haul inconveniences them and their fishing for a bit.

Oh and a little info, the opening and closing of the weirs isn't controlled by "A Guy" it's controlled by the Coastal protection and restoration authority. Prior to hurricane Rita they controlled the weirs and they were often closed for large chunks of the summer. After hurricane Rita, they turned over control of the weirs to the SWLA refuge complex and they virtually never closed them. I saw the fishing change back there, numbers of redfish went up but size went down and I started seeing the marsh melt away. A few years ago (maybe 3 I'm not certain) operation of the weirs was turned back over to the CPRA and they returned to the management strategy used prior to 2005. It's not any different then it was then, I remember being disappointed when I couldn't get back there in the middle of summer back then just as now. They have their salinity benchmarks and that's what the opening and closure is generally based on. At times, even if salinity is above target levels they will open them if water is very high to relieve flooding. Also, in severe drought they will at times open them because in some conditions the marsh completely drying out is worse than salt intrusion.

[homerun]

Having a rock levee from old super cut to wash out would slow down tidal movement within the lake therefore less tidal flow action in marshes behind weirs which would mean less salt back there. Rock levee the channel seems to be a win win for all here. They did it most of ship channel anyways what is big deal to put another couple of miles. The channel increase tidal flow when installed. Why is it so difficult for those with power to understand this? Cut the snake off at head not the tail.

[Natural Light Kid]

Originally Posted by redchaserron

If you want to see what we are losing, and what they are trying to protect with the weirs, open Google Earth and zoom into Cameron prairie refuge. At the top of the page on Google earth is a clock face, click it and it will bring up a slider. Use your mouse to slide the slider back and forth and you will see images over the course of time, you can see the marsh opening up, good productive nursery environment turning to open water. I fish back there a lot, it's my playground for years and I've been shocked at the changes I see year to year due to erosion. Sure I'd like to have access to get back there all the time, but not at the much greater cost of losing the marsh. I'm amazed at how short sighted "conservation minded" fishermen become when measures necessary to protect the resource over the long haul inconveniences them and their fishing for a bit.

Oh and a little info, the opening and closing of the weirs isn't controlled by "A Guy" it's controlled by the Coastal protection and restoration authority. Prior to hurricane Rita they controlled the weirs and they were often closed for large chunks of the summer. After hurricane Rita, they turned over control of the weirs to the SWLA refuge complex and they virtually never closed them. I saw the fishing change back there, numbers of redfish went up but size went down and I started seeing the marsh melt away. A few years ago (maybe 3 I'm not certain) operation of the weirs was turned back over to the CPRA and they returned to the management strategy used prior to 2005. It's not any different then it was then, I remember being disappointed when I couldn't get back there in the middle of summer back then just as now. They have their salinity benchmarks and that's what the opening and closure is generally based on. At times, even if salinity is above target levels they will open them if water is very high to relieve flooding. Also, in severe drought they will at times open them because in some conditions the marsh completely drying out is worse than salt intrusion.

Very well said!

["W"]

Weirs were never closed at all before Rita but a hand full of times and once the levees were repaired they stayed open 2 more years


And yea the guy who heads the open and closure of the weirs is a big to do with the duck hunting in that marsh (this comes from very close source )


Try again

[Smalls]

Whats tthe name waltrip?

Redchaserron - where did you hear that CPRA had operational control, because I can assure you, that is not who assumed control after USFWS relinquished it. The operation of the weirs was bid out to private companies, under the instruction of the management plan. Maybe CPRA issues those instructions, but I have never heard such.

[Bluechip]

Wil Drost.... W blames him for everything lol.

[PaulMyers]

Originally Posted by Bluechip

Wil Drost.... W blames him for everything lol.

LMAO!

[marshrunner757]

Originally Posted by homerun

Having a rock levee from old super cut to wash out would slow down tidal movement within the lake therefore less tidal flow action in marshes behind weirs which would mean less salt back there. Rock levee the channel seems to be a win win for all here. They did it most of ship channel anyways what is big deal to put another couple of miles. The channel increase tidal flow when installed. Why is it so difficult for those with power to understand this? Cut the snake off at head not the tail.

THIS!!!!
I fully believe this to be true and pretty sure I've voiced this a couple times. Instead of CCA wasting all that rock on reefs, why not restore the fn levy!!!! Stupid azz people!!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[redchaserron]

Originally Posted by Smalls

Whats tthe name waltrip?

Redchaserron - where did you hear that CPRA had operational control, because I can assure you, that is not who assumed control after USFWS relinquished it. The operation of the weirs was bid out to private companies, under the instruction of the management plan. Maybe CPRA issues those instructions, but I have never heard such.

Well initially I got the information from the press release the USFWSA refuge complex sent out when control was turned back over to CPRA and later got the same information from the CPRA and in fact if you call the boat bay hotline they refer any questions to Chuck Perridon the public information guy with the CPRA. Does a CPRA employee actually go out and do the labor of closing the weirs? No, but it's done under the direction of the CPRA.

Here is the text of the press release from 2012 that was issued by the USFWS

Effective January 1, 2012 the U S Fish and Wildlife Service relinquished daily operation of the water control structures on the east side of Calcasieu Lake to the Louisiana State Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Daily Operations and maintenance of the structures along the east side of Calcasieu Lake are now funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) as part of the Cameron Creole Maintenance (CS-04a) project. Gate operations are now performed by a contractor directed by the Louisiana State Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority."

And yes the weirs were often closed before Rita. I've been fishing that marsh for a very long time, not parking in the canal dunking shrimp by the weirs, but poling the flats and exploring the whole expanse of the place. And many times prior to Rita I felt the frustration of not being able to get back there onto the flats. After Rita they left the weirs open pretty much all the time until January of 2012.

I do think that shoring up the ship channel would help tremendously. For a while there was talk about installing a large lock somewhere near the mouth of the ship channel to really restrict tidal flow but with an always open smaller boat lane for smaller craft. That probably got nixed when they thought about the price tag.

["W"]

Before Rita they keep the gates open just about everyday but had boat bay closed the flow was open and almost never closed at Lambet and grand just because the boat bay was closed did not mean the gates were closed.

Can tell u how many times I seen the gates pouring water out while boat bay was closed off to boats

[Duck Butter]

I am telling you that the fishing id off in lots of places even in North Louisiana, well away from any weirs. People who fish Larto Lake are complaining about the sacaulait disappearing this year. I have fished D'arbonne Lake 2 of the last 3 weekends and we are catching sacaulait full of eggs something that is unheard of in May at D'arbonne Lake.


The shrimp are likely way behind schedule this year also I would imagine?

Stop trying to find ONE thing to blame fo lack of fishing success.

[BuckingFastard]

Originally Posted by "W"

Before Rita they keep the gates open just about everyday but had boat bay closed the flow was open and almost never closed at Lambet and grand just because the boat bay was closed did not mean the gates were closed.

Can tell u how many times I seen the gates pouring water out while boat bay was closed off to boats

that is right

[LAfins]

The grand bayou wier was closed yesterday (gate all the way down) but yet water was still rushing into the marsh through the boat bay. I have been reading the info on this thread but im really confused after what i saw yesterday. What's up with that?

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by LAfins

The grand bayou wier was closed yesterday (gate all the way down) but yet water was still rushing into the marsh through the boat bay. I have been reading the info on this thread but im really confused after what i saw yesterday. What's up with that?

CCA. The reason for everything is wrong or confusing is CCA.

And Widgeongrass. Lmao!!

[Ratdog]

I'm starting to get the idea that the gates are opened and closed by some guy under contract and when he gets the order he has left allredy and misses it as he goes fishing alot. Heck it might be w doing the fishing more than gate opps.

Who ever it is he leaves early early and they can't catch him to tell him to open the gates or close um. .???? Got any thoughts on this W.