FWC to spray herbicides on Lake Okeechobee, restore East Lake Toho, close hogfish season
Ed KillerLake Okeechobee anglers should not be surprised to see helicopters hovering nearby from Thursday until Nov. 1, except on weekends.
The state will aerial-spray herbicides over 800 acres of the lake to kill invasive plants, such as cattails, that block out diverse native plants, such as spatterdock, spikerush, duck potato and maidencane. The project should take three days.
No activities will be restricted, including fishing, swimming or drinking, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
More:Should FWC stop spraying glyphosate, herbicides?
The targeted areas are high-quality foraging and nesting habitat for the endangered Everglade snail kite, wading birds, waterfowl and other marsh species, the FWC said.
The two areas, about 400 acres each, are:
- A dense cattail marsh southeast of the Indian Prairie Canal (C 40) boat ramp near Highway 78 in Glades County
- A dense common reed area on the North Lake Shoal (Kings Bar) in Okeechobee County.
The cattail treatment also is a component of a University of Florida research project to better understand habitat management strategies that benefit the Everglade snail kite and the snails it eats.
The FWC contractor will use herbicides approved for use in water bodies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Treatment areas will be posted at boat ramps and FWC staff will be present to ensure all agency protocols are being followed. For questions about this project, contact FWC biologist Dan Roberts at 863-824-4163.
Toho habitat restoration
The FWC this week began a multiple-phase habitat restoration project on East Lake Tohopekaliga, also known as East Lake Toho, in Osceola County. The lake is part of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes that flows south into Lake Okeechobee.
Lakefront homeowners are encouraged to remove their boats from the lake by Dec. 1 to prevent their boats from being stranded on the dry lake bottom.
The boat ramp and marina area on the south shore at Lake Front Park will be accessible during the project, but the Chisholm Park ramp on the east shore will be unusable from December 2019 through July 2020.
The project, slated for completion June 1, involves releasing water from the lake via the S-59 structure in the outfall canal on the south shore of the lake, from Oct. 20 through the next few months.
The agency aims to lower the lake level about 1 foot per month until it reaches 53 feet in mid-February so it can improve the habitat by:
- Killing invasive plants with herbicides
- Burning off dead vegetation
- Scraping out dense plant and organic material
- Planting native vegetation
Maintaining the same water level for flood control has degraded the habitat over decades, the FWC said in a news release.
"When lakes do not maintain naturally fluctuating water levels, the buildup of nuisance aquatic vegetation and organic sediments (muck) on the lake bottom occurs."
The FWC completed a similar project in 1990.
The lake will naturally refill with rainwater.
For questions about this project, contact FWC biologist Tim Coughlin at 407-846-5191.
Hogfish to close
Hogfish recreational harvest will close in state and federal waters off Florida’s Atlantic and southern Gulf coasts Nov. 1.
This closure includes all state waters south of Cape Sable, which is on the gulf side of Florida, and up the Atlantic coast. The Keys/east Florida hogfish season runs from May 1 through Oct. 31.
Recreational harvest remains open in state and federal waters north of Cape Sable, or Latitude 25 degrees 09 minutes in the Gulf of Mexico.
For more information on hogfish state fishing regulations go to myfwc.com.
General information
For updates on all FWC lake projects, including effects on public access, or for general waterbody information, fishing forecasts, virtual tours, plant control operation schedules and annual workplans, boat ramp information, and more, go to the agency's “What’s Happening on My Lake” website at MyFWC.com/Lake.
