A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service webinar from 6-7 p.m. Feb. 15 will cover the basics of managing early season aquatic vegetation.
The webinar program will cover aquatic vegetation management considerations going into the spring, said Brittany Chesser, AgriLife Extension aquatic vegetation program specialist in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Bryan-College Station.
Registration is $35 and free to AgriLife Extension employees. Instructions to access the webinar will be emailed when payment is received. The email will include a receipt, registration confirmation and instructions for accessing the webinar.
Preparing for aquatic vegetation management
Chesser will discuss some of the first aquatic vegetation species that may begin to emerge and establish and provide in-depth prevention strategies for specific situations. She will also cover weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy, treatment timing and applicable laws and regulations
Chesser will be joined by Todd Sink, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension aquaculture specialist and director of the AgriLife Extension Aquatic Diagnostics Lab, Bryan-College Station, who will be available to answer questions in an accompanying chat forum.
“This is a really good time to think about aquatic vegetation management so that you can be prepared to treat your pond or lake how and when treatments will be most effective,” she said. “Early management done correctly reduces costs and labor and takes care of the problem before options may run out.”
Chesser will also discuss the basics of stocking grass carp and tilapia as a biological management as several regulations regarding these fish species have changed.
The hour-long presentation will be followed with an approximately 30-minute question-and-answer session with Chesser and Sink.
“March and April are the sweet spots for management and prevention,” Chesser said. “So, making observations and a plan of attack now for plants that may be first emerging early, whether it is algae or submerged vegetation, is a good idea.”
