2004
NEWS ARCHIVE
Schexnayder
Honored for Coastal Stewardship
April 5, 2004
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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