The invasive plant, giant Salvinia, was first observed in Chenier Plain marshes in 2009. Since then it has spread throughout most of the Louisiana Chenier Plain marshes. This plant can stack up above the water surface to as much as 6 to 12 inches. Under such conditions, oxygen exchange is greatly reduced, and decay of shaded Salvinia can easily cause anoxic conditions in affected areas. As a result, habitat quality of badly infested areas is severely degraded, and may affect many species typical of fresh marshes, including many species of management concern (alligator snapping turtle, mottled duck [including critical brood rearing habitat], wintering migratory waterfowl, black rail, king rail, little blue heron, whooping crane, and peregrine falcon).
LSU Ag. Center has a pond in Jeanerette, La. which is capable of producing weevil-infested Salvinia, but LSU does not have funding to operate a weevil production facility here. Costs associated with this project consists primarily of supplies and one part-time position to operate the pond, coordinate public weevil harvests, keep records of release locations, monitor Salvinia problem areas, assist landowners in conducting weevil release, relay infested Salvinia to new locations, and conduct public outreach to promote the program.
The Louisiana Salvinia Weevil Propagation Facility project is located coastwide.
This project was approved for Phase I, Phase II, and Operation in January 2017.
This project is on Priority Project List (PPL) 26.
The Louisiana Salvinia Weevil Propagation Facility project sponsors include:
- Federal Sponsor: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Local Sponsor: Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Keep up with this project and other CWPPRA projects on the project page.
CWPPRA 