CONCLUSIONS 



The primary purpose of the impoundments and semi-impounded area is wildlife habitat improve- 

 ment. Most management is designed to attract migratory ducks; however, Lake 4 is maintained as 

 a multiple-use impoundment and water control structures are operated to permit ingress and egress 

 of estuarine-dependent and recreationally valuable species such as brown shrimp and white shrimp. 

 The Miller Lake weir area receives no special management attention but the two weirs stabilize 

 water levels and salinities and provide a stable environment for shrimp production. 



Since the saltwater angler population is growing at a rate twice as great as the overall 

 population, methods to satisfy this growing pressure on coastal sport Fisheries resources need to 

 be investigated (Stroud 1978). As congestion increases, the value of the recreational experience 

 decreases. Efforts must be made to provide additional access for fishing or shrimping. Any 

 project, however, must fully consider the preservation of estuarine and shoreline habitats and must 

 not conflict with the primary objectives of the management unit. 



As part of the waterfowl management program on the study area, Lakes 3 and 4 are drained 

 every 3 to 4 years to maximize production of aquatic plants. A program designed to drain these 

 impoundments on different years would provide greater recreational access because there would 

 be no year when both Lake 3 and Lake 4 are dry. Also, recreational usage of Lake 3 could 

 possibly be increased if its management was similar to the multiple-use management program 

 implemented in Lake 4. 



The water control structures for the impoundments and the weir area should be modified to 

 provide suitable castnetting sites. During peak shrimp movement periods, all available sites remain 

 occupied, causing many people to change plans and participate in other activities or leave the 

 refuge. Construction of shoreline walkways adjacent to the control structures could possibly provide 

 these additional castnetting sites. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Baldwin, W.P. 1967. Impoundments for waterfowl on South Atlantic and gulf coastal marshes. 

 Pages 127-133 in J.D. Newson, ed. Proceedings of the first coastal marsh and estuary 

 management symposium. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. 



Chabreck, R.H. 1960. Coastal marsh impoundments for ducks in Louisiana. Proc. Annu. Conf. 

 Southeast. Assoc. Game Fish Comm. 14:24-29. 



Chabreck, R.H., and CM. Hoffpauir. 1962. The use of weirs in coastal marsh management units 

 in Louisiana. Proc. Annu. Conf. Southeast. Assoc. Game Fish Comm. 16:103-112. 



Chabreck, R.H., R.K. Yancey, and L. McNease. 1974. Duck usage of management units in the 

 Louisiana coastal marshes. Proc. Annu. Conf. Southeast. Assoc. Game Fish Comm. 28:507- 

 516. 



Devel, D.G. 1973. 1970 salt-water angling survey. Curr. Fish. Stat. No. 6200. U.S. Dep. Comm. 

 NOAA, NMFS. 54 pp. 



Funicelli, N.A., and H.M. Rogers. 1981. Reduced freshwater inflow impacts on estuaries. Pages 

 214-219 in R.C. Carey, P.S. Markovits, and J.B. Kirkwood, eds. Proceedings of a U.S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service workshop on coastal ecosystems of Southeast United States. U.S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service. 



220 



