Salvinia Is Wreaking Havac On Area Lakes
 

It's called salvinia and it's spreading like -- well, kudzu. Residents and state agents don't want it choking the life out of the lakes -- but the state doesn't have the manpower to make much of a dent.

salvinia
 

Salvinia and many other plants come from tropical fish hobbyist. I hobby in marine and African Cichlids. These two hobbies do not have live plants in the aquarium. I have seen signs posted at public boat ramps that ask you to check your boat trailer and motor for feral aquatic plants. I have seen the state spray aquatic vegetation and they kill everything with that spray. There is a white Amur Carp that is known as a grass carp that can do some serious eating of plant matter. Before they stock them in a lake they neuter them so they do not take over. This is better way than chemical.

Salvinia (Salvinia molesta)
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White Amur
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Other Names
White Amur, Waan Ue
Description
Ctenopharyngodon and idella are both Greek words, meaning "comb-like throat-teeth" and "distinct" respectively. The grass carp is one of the largest members of the minnow family. The body is oblong with moderately large scales, while the head has no scales. There are three simple and seven branched rays on the dorsal fin. Grass carp are silvery to olive in color, lacking the golden hue of common carp, and they have no barbels. This species typically reaches sizes of 65 to 80 pounds in its native habitat, but individuals approaching 400 pounds have been reported.

I was on Cross Lake early this week, and the West end has a hyacinth problem, and other nuisance plants (anacharis) The water is 8 ft deep and the plants reach up near the surface. My buddy bought a new air cooled "mud buddy" surface drive motor so he can reach his duck blind.

Updated News Story
 

A new story has been added to the "Read More" section of this topic, as follows

Shreveport Times -- Jun 30 2007 11:06 AM
Salvinia continues to choke area lakes

Updated News Story
 

A new story has been added to the "Read More" section of this topic, as follows

KTAL -- Jul 5 2007 10:54 AM
Giant Problem for Caddo Lake

This stuff is really bad. I had no idea just how bad until this morning. I could not believe my eyes. This is a photo of Pine Cove and you can see it is real bad.
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Can you drive a boat through that?

I did but I will not do it again. That lake is under a major attack. Bistaneau was a very nice lake I hope they can do something with it.

That is unreal!!! Looks like a plush green golf course! Hard to believe you could manuever through that at all!:eek:

Not to sound stupid, but what happens when you drive through it? Does it mess up your motor or what? I heard several doctors talking the other day about their friends who have camps at Bisteneau that can't even get out of them by boat because of this stuff.

Not These!

www.mudbuddy.com
www.gater-tail.com
www.godevil.com

My buddy has a mud buddy and its one of those things that you wonder how you ever lived with out. He is even able to cut trails going to his duck blind.

http://www.mudbuddy.com/Sport-Quarter-Trans-500.jpg