An ongoing process, the harvesting of the gizzard shad, began in 1993.
This helps to removes phosphorous contained in the shad’s bodies, which
reduces the recycling of the toxin. This results in improved water clarity
and better conditions for game fish. More than 22 million pounds of
gizzard shad have been removed from the lake to date, and have been
mostly used as bait in the blue crab and crayfish industries.
These combined endeavors have resulted in great improvements to the
lake, and an abundance of bird species and other wildlife have returned.
The populations of gizzard shad are decreasing and sunshine bass have
been in