Lake Ouachita vegetation control
is being addressed by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission,
and the
Lake Ouachita
Citizen Focus Committee to control Hydrilla
and Eurasian watermilfoil.
Bill Barnes, owner of Mountain Harbor Marina, and representing the Lake Ouachita CFC, says the vegetation has gotten so bad that tourists are starting to avoid coming to Ouachita.
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AGFC district fisheries biologist Stuart Wooldridge points to the increasing amount of vegetation as leading to an increase in the lake’s pickerel population, a predator fish that competes directly with largemouth bass. “The goal of the project is to contain and reduce the vegetation, not eradication, since the presence of aquatic vegetation in moderate amounts is beneficial to the lake's fishery,” Wooldridge said.
Satellite imagery by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows the lake contains 10,000 acres of vegetation, according to Richard Stokes, Lake Ouachita project manager. “The goal of the project is to reduce the coverage by 2,000 acres. We will concentrate on high recreational use areas, such as swimming beaches, around marinas and popular boating areas. Areas of the lake containing good fishery habitat will not be treated,” Stokes added.
The Corps of Engineers will inoculate 13 selected areas of Lake Ouachita with Pakistani flies, whose larvae feed exclusively on hydrilla. The flies will take several years to become noticeably effective. The Corps will also treat areas around swimming beaches and marinas with a herbicide this spring and summer for more immediate control. The Corps received $140,000 from Congress, with the help of Arkansas’ congressional delegation, this year for this treatment.
The AGFC will stock 10,000 grass carp in seven selected areas to contain the spread of new vegetation. Grass carp feed on vegetation, preferring Hydrilla to the Eurasian watermilfoil.
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