The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced a $2 million increase in funds to combat a new problem in the water and increase cooperation with LSU and other state universities.
The new problem is an aquatic weed called giant salvinia, a thick invasive plant that grows in lakes and renders water unusable.
When a lake is taken over by giant salvinia, it cannot be used for a water source or for any recreational sports such as boating, fishing or hunting.
Gary Tilyou, administrator for Inland Fisheries Division, said the lakes in northern Louisiana have experienced an invasion of these weeds since 2006.
“It has taken over many lakes in nothern Louisiana where people get their source of water,” Tilyou said. “The water gets very thick, and the lake becomes unusable.”
LDWF cannot keep up with the growing problem of these aquatic weeds on its current budget, said Tilyou.
“The department has traditionally treated approximately 40,000 acres of nuisance vegetation statewide annually, but our biologists estimated that surface coverage increased 48 percent in 2007 to 735,000 acres,” said Robert Barham, LDWF Secretary, in a news release.
The request to increase LDWF’s funds was included in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s executive budget brought before the joint Louisiana congressional committee on Feb. 29. If approved, the bill will take effect July 1.
The majority of the money will finance the hired contract sprayers to kill the aquatic weeds. The remainder will go to universities such as LSU to finance more research, Tilyou said.
The LDWF already has a contract with the University’s Agriculture Department.
Dearl Sanders, head of the University’s research team at the Agricultural Center, said the contract with LDWF began in 2002.
LDWF uses the information that the University provides through its research to make accurate decisions such as what chemicals to use in fighting the harmful plants. Sanders recently met Barham to discuss future plans with the University’s research involvement.
“He does want to increase cooperation with LSU, but nothing has been drawn up yet,” Sanders said. “He knows LSU can provide the best information for combating aquatic weeds.”
—-Contact Joy Lukachick at [email protected].