Schexnayder
Honored for Coastal Stewardship
Posted:
4/5/04
Sea Grant
Fisheries Extension Agent Mark Schexnayder in the LSU Agricultural
Center is one of four recipients of the Coalition to Restore
Coastal Louisiana's 2004 Coastal Stewardship Award. Schexnayder
was nominated for his role in the creation of artificial fishing
reefs in Lake Pontchartrain and ongoing efforts to restore
fisheries habitat in several local waterways.
He helped
to form the Pontchartrain Artificial Reef Working Group, which
includes the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, and is active
in other efforts to encourage outdoor recreational opportunities.
Since 2001, this project has created five artificial reef
sites in Lake Pontchartrain.
"These
newly added hard structures develop a bottom habitat for invertebrate
organisms, creating a basis for a food chain for large vertebrate
species such as speckled trout and flounder. These reefs would
primarily be fish attractors. Nevertheless, the reef will
generally provide a much more productive habitat than the
surrounding soft lake bottom. They should enhance fishing
opportunities in Lake Pontchartrain," Schexnayder said.
Some of
Schexnayder's other projects include outreach programs with
the Vietnamese commercial fishing industry, an "Urban
Fishing Initiative" that includes the rehabilitation
of New Orleans' City Park lagoon system, production of bio-products
from commercial fish and shrimp waste, and the Louisiana Marine
Fisheries Museum in Lafitte. He also serves as the parish
director for Jefferson Parish LSU AgCenter.
The other
honorees of the ninth annual Coastal Stewardship Awards were
Senator Reggie P. Dupre, Cathy Norman and the ShrevCORPS group.
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