Giant Salvinia PSA

https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/release...7&nrsearch=

News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, news@tpwd.texas.gov, 512-389-8030
Nov. 14, 2017


Giant Salvinia Infestation Found on Lake Fork
AUSTIN —The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has confirmed the presence of invasive giant salvinia at three locations on Lake Fork – the largest total infestation ever found on the lake.

Personnel from the Sabine River Authority (SRA) and the Tyler North district fisheries office confirmed the infestation Thursday, Oct. 26, within hours of being notified by a local property owner. The TPWD Brookeland aquatic invasive species team later coordinated the placement of a containment boom to isolate the worst-affected cove and surveyed sections of shoreline to determine the extent of the giant salvinia’s presence.
“We are seeing 12-15 total acres of giant salvinia in Lake Fork at this time,” said John Findeisen, Brookeland Aquatic Invasive Species team lead. “There’s enough giant salvinia scattered throughout the lake that eradication would be almost impossible at this point. We will continue to search the lake but we also ask that boaters and property owners also keep an eye out for the plant and call us if they see it.”
According to Findeisen, 90 percent of the infestation – about 10 acres – is confined to White Oak Creek behind the containment boom. But the other scattered plants confirmed along the highway 17 bridge at Fisherman’s Cove Boat Ramp, and directly across from White Oak Creek cannot be contained to their current locations.
Judging by the distribution and age of the plants, it is apparent the giant salvinia at White Oak Creek has been in place for at least 8-10 months, Findeisen said. As is the case for other introductions in East Texas, the plants were most likely introduced to the lake by boat trailer.

“These new infestations underscore the importance of removing all plant material from boats and trailers before leaving the ramp,” Findeisen said. “Invasive species spread quickly and easily so we urge all boaters to clean, drain, and dry their equipment to keep the giant salvinia from spreading to other East Texas lakes.”
In addition to placing the containment boom around the White Oak Creek infestation, TPWD staff will be conducting chemical treatment on the other giant salvinia mats. Because the giant salvinia cannot be contained and will only be maintained at the lake, TPWD will not be treating the giant salvinia patches currently mixed in with native emergent plants.
“When with other vegetation, giant salvinia can be tricky to treat with herbicides.” Findeisen said. “Our experience with treating salvinia in mixed plant colonies has been the salvinia rebounds faster after the treatment and is no longer being held in place by the other plant species. This gives the giant salvinia free rein to float all over the lake, creating a bigger problem. Additionally, we don’t want to disrupt the habitat those native plants provide to fish and wildlife.”
TPWD and SRA will continue to conduct additional surveys to check for the spread of the plant to other areas of the lake, and additional chemical treatment will be conducted on giant salvinia mats as needed, Findeisen added.

Giant salvinia has been present in Texas for nearly 20 years. Giant salvinia was first discovered on Toledo Bend in 1998 and has since spread throughout East Texas. In addition to current infestations at Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn and Caddo Lake, the invasive plant has been newly introduced or reintroduced at four Texas lakes in the last three months: Lake Murvaul, Lake Palestine, Martin Creek Lake and now Lake Fork.
All boaters should learn to identify giant salvinia as well as other invasive species that occur in Texas waters. Most importantly, boaters should remember to clean their boats and trailers before leaving the boat ramp. Transporting giant salvinia, along with other invasive species, is prohibited by law and punishable by a fine of up to $500 per violation.
Boaters and property owners are urged to clean, drain, and dry their boats and trailers in between trips and to report additional infestations outside of the affected areas by calling (903) 593-5077, (903) 570-5745, or by emailing kevin.storey@tpwd.texas.gov.
The Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association (LFSA) is hosting a public meeting to discuss TPWD’s management of invasive species in Lake Fork. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the Emory City Center at 735 N. Texas Street. TPWD staff will be on hand to discuss treatment strategies and future plans and personnel from SRA will be in attendance to provide support. To add balance to the meeting, LFSA members will discuss their efforts to reintroduce native plants into Lake Fork to improve aquatic habitat.

For more information on giant salvinia and other invasive species, visit tpwd.texas.gov/giantsalvinia.

I don't like to see them say there is so much scattered through the lake that eradication is almost impossible...

Imagine some of it was transplanted from Rayburn and Toldeo and some more was spread around the lake by aholes driving over the boom in Chaney. SMDH.

I'll bet it is in a lot more lakes than folks realize. I've seen it in all the lakes listed with my own eyeballs and lots of little floaters blowing in every direction over the last couple of months.

Here are some pictures I've pulled from Texas Parks and Wildlife and other sources that might give folks a better idea of what to look for.





Maybe we could get a sticky up where folks can submit pictures of stuff that might be gaint salvinia stating what lake they found it on. I know from looking at stuff myself that it is harder to identify when at early stages of growth. Only later when it gets wavy is it more easily identified.

Funny that they say spraying everything only creates a bigger issue yet they decimated toledo with chemicals.

I think that's the "bigger issue" to which they referred. Killing unintended native aquatic vegetation. Sounds like they've learned from their mistakes?

Pray it stays out of Arkansas!

So here is a dumb and maybe ignorant question. This is a floating plant so if there are 3 major areas where it's located now on Fork then why not go in with small barges or an army of pontoon boats and manually/physically remove as much as possible in trash cans, etc then come back through and do some chemical treats as needed?

Labor intensive but not a bad idea. My F-in-Law used a homemade type of rake that he attached to his tractor. He'd throw or swim it out and then pull the hydrilla around his dock up onto the bank. When it dried out, he'd burn it.

Don't rule out people fishing Caddo then going over to Fork. There is so much GS on Caddo it is all the way up to the 43 bridge. Hard to NOT get it on your boat and trailer if you fish there.

good evening,

SALT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...just saying........bass and others will live in brackish water..........

good luck,
PURA VIDA,
bluebonnet2

TPWD and the Lake Fork Sportsman's Association will be putting on a "State of the Lake" to address the Giant Salvania at Fork on Tuesday evening Nov 21. 2017 at the Emory City Centre. St Hwy 19 on the left just north of the city of Emory.

There is a lot of Giant Salvania below the bridge in Birch Creek also.

Would think as long as ducks can transport it, there will be no end to it.

I think it was Sabine River Authority was the one that sprayed on Toledo. There are not a lot of options with this stuff. I will say there is a lot more of Toledo accessible since they sprayed.

They carpet bombed Murvaul also in August/September.

It was weird fishing Murvaul in October, and it being like fishing a grassless west Texas lake (a few reed patches survived the napalm-like spraying)

I told my buddies, years ago, when Salvinia was found in Caddo that it would never be a serious worry with the masses until it Fork.
Toledo -meh, Palestine - meh, Rayburn - meh....Fork - holy [censored]! the sky is falling, we need to do something about this problem... Sometimes it sucks to be right.
Wait till Zebra mussels are found in Fork......it will be the end of the world.

I can’t believe what they have done to Murvaul. They completly wiped out over 90% of the reeds on the whole lake, and are still spraying. Who the hell is making these decisions to kill everything that has helped improve the fishing and health of the lake? When you read the story above they state that spraying and killing the native vegetation does not help eradicate, yet they are doing this in lakes as we speak. Everyone needs the get on the same page with this issue immediately, or they will continue to ruin lakes with not much positives to show for their efforts. I also never hear anyone mention how the chemicals affect the fish. What are they spraying, does this get ingested by the fish and in turn by humans consuming the fish? What are the health risks?

Nasty stuff that doubles it's coverage area about every 5-7 days. Very hard to contain. We've got it bad here, some lakes look like pastures. It's affected major tournament trails in this area because of how it is making these lakes fish so small...one of the bigger trails had to make their tourneys scrambles.

If you have even the smallest piece on your boat/trailer remove it.

Texas has done a WAY better job of keeping it out that Louisiana did.

Maybe y'all will get a little help with the coming winter. Cold seems to be the only thing that kills it.

The good thing about Fork is that alot of people fish it. If there could be a grassroots effort to jump on it early in the growing season yall could get a handle on it before it gets out of hand. I know that there is discouragement of putting it in the boat, etc. Please don't make me aware of that.

The last thing that needs to happen is to just let it float. We did that here in Louisiana and you see what that got us. Get on it quickly this year.