UPDATE:
Dr. Richard Ott: TP&W Fisheries Biologist, and District Supervisor for District 3C,

Kevin Storey: TP&W Fisheries Biologist, and District Supervisor for District 3B, &

Dr. Tim Brister: TP&W Fisheries Biologist, and District Supervisor for District 3A;

will be at Mack's Discount Tackle, 300 South Main Lindale Texas on Saturday February 23, 2008, from 9:00 AM to Noon.

They will be presenting information on Giant Salvinia, as well as other invasive species.

This will also be a 'Meet The Biologist' opportunity as well where you can ask these men whatever question that you’d like pertaining to the fisheries of East Texas.

Flyers will be offered to help with the identification of Giant Salvinia.

Also, an actual sample will be on display so that you may learn what Giant Salvinia looks like.

All are welcome!
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I spoke with Kevin Storey ( TP&W Dept., District Supervisor Inland Fisheries Management Region 3B) face-to-face this morning. He and and other TP&W fisheries biologist are distributing flyer, etc. on Giant Salvinia for Lake Fork and other East Texas lakes.

Mr. Storey stated that Dr. Richard Ott's District 3C group had found Giant Salvinia in the North end of Lake Palestine yesterday.

There is a hotline that you can call if you think that you've spotted an occurence of Giant Salvinia.
1-877-STOP-ANS

TFP

The stuff will spell the doom of even the best lakes. Hasn't there been some sort of parasite that was successfully introduced to help control it?

Isn't Carp a parasite?

No what he is refering to is some type of beetle.

I read an article that talked about the beetle but I am not sure if they introduced it, or if it was successful.

heres some google stuff I found on it.

http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/S/Salvinia_molesta.asp

Next year y'all are going to get a spray bottle of Round-up with your fishing license renewal. Seriously, that is bad stuff and I doubt that you'll be able to slow the spread of it down much.

If you google "giant salvinia" there are some interesting reads. Most promising appears to be the salvinia weevil. Not for total eradication, but for control.

SE Kansas grass grower

eagles band member don henly has property on caddo and is also trying to do something about it as well.on caddo they have built pvc type cages? to monitor what that bug will do to the nasty stuf,and have used other types of spray not sure what kind.the bug should die when the food supply runs out so they say.don't know don's web site but google it,should come up.WASH THAT BOAT

This needs to stay on top because it is a scary problem. As I understand it, the plant can double every few days and totally engulf a lake. Wash your trailers after every trip regardless of where you fish.

Maybe they can make this a sticky, everyone needs to be aware of such a damaging species so it can be reported immediately.

Even if this stuff freezes it does not die, so do not think that it would die being out of the water on your trailer a few days or weeks. That is why it is so important to wash your trailer everytime.

caddo has big signs at every boat dock that i have been to on that lake that has a picture of it and a bucket to place it in.and advise people to wash equipment and report where found if you see it so call them when you see that stuff

The BASS Website has a good article on the nasty stuff here.

This is the scary part:

Wow thats crazy!!! Con you flip the stuff??

"reduces" the oxygen in the water.

"These mats reduce oxygen in the water by preventing oxygen movement from air to water while decomposing vegetation removes oxygen already in the water. As a result, dissolved oxygen in the water drops well below levels needed to support fish. In addition, shading from the mats prevents growth of submersed aquatic vegetation causing further environmental damage"

MUST DIE. KILL IT ALL!!!

kill it, before it kills the lakes!

I'll do my part! Thanks for the heads up.

Bump

I have been at Toledo Bend many years and this is the worst I have seen it. The back of the creeks in Lanana bay are full of it.

Bad Stuff.

Tnat scares the sheet out of me.Will be on the lookout.

Should make this a sticky. Ahhhhhhh!

Are they saying it is in Fork?

They had an interview with a biologist from the TP&W on KETK. They said it was on Caddo, Toledo Bend and now Palestine. Was brought in to the States from Brazil for Fish tanks and backyard fish ponds. They believe it came to Palestine from Toledo Bend.

I remember when fire ants was just some small problem you herd about, now there everywhere. I hope we get a handle on this stuff quickly.

bump

Article in Tyler paper this morning says Kickapoo Creek Ramp at Palestine is closed due to infestation of Giant Salvinia. Get your Round-up bottles filled!

SE Kansas grass grower

Will this stuff grow in West Texas ?
And more importantly, can it be harvested to produce ethanol gas ?

Nut

Actually it's a type of weevil, specificlly: Cyrtobagous salviniae

Clicky for more info.

TFP

Hey Guys, Wake Up. This stuff is really Bad. Hate to see it on Caddo, one of my favorite lakes. Getting Real Close to Home being in Palestine now. Just how long before it does reach Lake Fork, Bob Sandlin Cypress Springs and all of the East Texas lakes. We got to do something and do it Quick. This stuff is like the Plague on area lakes. Does anyone on here know a Marine Biologist or even get in touch with the T.P.W. and see what can be done about this. If no one takes any action we just might be all S-O-L. Just my .02 worth.

I have posted a subject on Salvinia and was not aware that this and another posting had been made. However, I have seen a couple of things on this posting I would like to address. One person remarked about taking round-up with them. Roundup, Rodeo, Flames from propane burners, coldest winters, and many other herbicides cannot kill Salvinia. The Beetle which was talked about, is the only biological preventions known for Giant Salvinia. It has been used with some success but it is still unknown if the beetle can survive the cold of winters throughtout the infested Lake throughout affected areas. Certain herbicides, which can kill Salvinia, are prohibited from being used in Lakes that produce drinking water.

The key to sussessfully fighting Salvinia is Education, awareness of the problems, identification of Salvinia in a waterway very quickly, and structured and well planned plan of action.

I know people may get tired of reading and discussing Salvinia but I would rather hear those complaints, rather that hear complaints about a lake dying, being unable to fish or utilize watercraft for recreation, and complaining about why someone did not do something to stop its spread.

No, they are alerting anglers so they can stop it if it does pop up somewhere.

No it is not in Fork just yet but it will be if we don't do something to stop the spreading of it.

Guys you really have to see this stuff to beleive it.

You need to do all you can to keep it out of your lakes.

Take a look at this site.

[url=http://www.lakebistineau.com/salvinia/index.htm][/url]

Even these pictures don't do it justice. In some places it is as far as you can see.

Can you beleive that we are fishing a tournament on this lake this weekend. What is bad about this stuff is that the fish you are on this afternoon maybe totally covered with this stuff in the morning and unfishable. I promise that is no exaggeration.

Pat

I was on Caddo monday and the mat of hyacinth was so bad you could not run the north shore from the river to Potters. Huge mats of hyacinth, acres and acres of it. The salvinia is mixed in with the hyacinth. Old Folks Playground is full of it also. They are spraying now with 3 full time boats to try and kill it before the growing season starts. Google Caddo water hyacinths and lots of articles on what is being done. I believe there was a article in the New York Times about it.

Here's who to contact and how to help prevent it:
Click here for more information (http://salvinia.er.usgs.gov/) Be sure to clean your boat before/after visiting a lake. Anyone finding suspected giant salvinia in a public water body should contact Howard Elder at (409) 384-9965 or Rick Ott at (903) 566-2161. Check out this site for ways you can help: http://www.protectyourwaters.net/
bj

Are they right about Sam Rayburn too?

KLTV


"The plant was also found on Lake Sam Rayburn last week, but no ramp has been closed down there. "


Update:

From TPWD Website
Sam Rayburn - Coleman Creek

Check out the article published by TPWD:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?nrtype=fish&nrsearch=
The article says they found it in the back of Coleman Creek. A friend of mine that fishes Rayburn a lot says he saw a lot of it in Angelina last year. TPWD hasn't reported that yet. Guess it's really there.
BJ

was on all the local news last night, reported by a fisherman who overheard another group talking about moving it here from toledo bend...i guess on their trailer...what the?????
if they knew it, you would think they would have done something about it before they put in...

they have floats out hoping to contain it...

bump

Guys and Gals we really need to watch for this stuff when we are out on our lakes, so this does not take over our great fisheries that we have!! Is the state trying to do anything about it? If not they really need to.

The really sad part about this, is that alot of boats and trailers will not get washed off. It is going to spread unless there is a way to kill it.

Your right, alot of people will either not know to wash their boats or just downright think its other fishermen problem and will ignore it. My question about the beatle is have they done any studies to ensure that it doesn't impact the lakes once introduced?

I always wash my boat off but sometimes theres grass and whatever else stuck between the boat and the runners on the trailer. I tear it off the best that I can but I knows theres some trapped between there. What do you guys do?

Ray Roberts is free and clear of this so far.

how long has this stuff be around? does anyone know of any lakes that have been covered completely by this plant?

Hey just an idea but if this stuff is being spread so quickly it would seem to me that it may be something someone or group (think people who are against fishing and hunting )have read or seen the damage that can be done and are doing it on purpose. just a thought !! Everyone should be on the lookout for this type of thing and the law enforcement and game wardens should be inspecting for this stuff at the same time as they are checking licences and stuff. I think we may need a new law on the books on the order of something like this : If a person is caught intentionally moving this stuff from lake to lake then his entire outfit is siezed and he get 5 years in jail. this is serious stuff and it could really hurt the lake communities as a whole. JUST MY .02

I live on Palestine. They closed the ramp and put up a 'floating collar around the launch area' on the 315 Bridge just south of Chandler, last week. Notice posted about the Giant Salvinia being found.

Bad deal.

Was up in kickapoo this weekend and did not see any of it but going home across the bridge I think I seen it in the very back.

Hey Metromess ... this stuff is coming to a lake near you soon! Some DA will transport it!

This stuff is definitely bad news. As it is being posted on the forums and signs at the ramps, most of that information is being directed at boaters. Maybe some of this should be brought up to home owners on the lakes as well.

I think about the lakes in years past where the grass has been sprayed to kill it off because of lake front home owners that complained and wanted the grass gone.

Now there is something common between home owners and fisherman. We all want this plant to be gone.

HOLY S**T YOU GUYS! CHECK THIS STUFF OUT, THIS AINT NO JOKE! WHAT IF YOU TOOK OFF TO THE LAKE TOMORROW MORNING TO GO FISHIN' AND SAW THIS STUFF OVER YOUR FAVORITE SPOT....THIS IS CATASTROPHIC! http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj12/agore1929/GiantSalvinia.jpg
CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO SEE WHAT THIS STUFF CAN DO.

Well looking at the pic that Huckleberry posted , that sure looks like the stuff floating the edges of Pilot Creek on the north end of Hubbard. Has anyone compared the two? There was a pretty good amount of that stuff up there I don't know if its the bad stuff but it looks like that stuff.

Thats all fork needs...kill all the fish and ruin a bunch of lives. Hope for the sake of all those guides they get it under control NOW.