Louisiana DWF Schedules Herbicide Spray on Saline Lake

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 03.06.13

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has scheduled a series of large-scale herbicide applications on Saline Lake as a preventative measure to reduce the coverage of giant salvinia before the plant’s maximum growing season this spring.

The effort is part of an integrated management approach that also includes herbicide treatments, biological control with salvinia weevils and lake drawdowns.

Boat-based sprayers are scheduled to begin herbicide applications on Monday, March 11. Approximately 1,000 acres of the invasive plant will be targeted for this effort. To increase efficiency, spraying will be scheduled to include periods of inactivity to allow for sprayed plants to die and sink.

Last year, over 50 percent of the lake’s surface was covered with giant salvinia, totaling roughly 4,200 acres. A drawdown was conducted during the fall and winter seasons as a control measure. The drawdown reduced salvinia coverage by over 50 percent. A second drawdown is scheduled for the fall of 2013.

The Department wants to remind the public of LDWF standard procedure that restricts the use of herbicides only to those certified as safe by the EPA. When applied properly, these herbicides are also not harmful to fish and other aquatic organisms.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.