SeaArk Boats President Addresses Lake Monticello Issues
July 20th, 2017 by Submitted
Note: The following was sent into MonticelloLive.com as a letter to the editor….
To Whom It May Concern,
It has been brought to my attention that the draining of Lake Monticello will be discussed at the upcoming City Council Meeting.
It is my understanding that the lake needs to be lowered to repair the levy. During that time, the Game and Fish Commission would like to drain it even further to kill off the Grass Carp which would in turn help to improve the habitat for sport fish. As an avid fisherman I am all for any attempt to improve the sport of fishing but as the President of SeaArk Boats, lowering the lake for an extended period of time, would be detrimental to our business.
Having a lake nearby has been very beneficial to our business. We use it daily to test new models, perform break-in procedures,test propellers, and test for proper “set up” on outboard engines. Closing the lake would force us to drive to the Arkansas River in Pine Bluff, over an hour away (or two hours round trip). This would create the need to add a minimum of two full time employees and possibly another vehicle. Not to mention, the extra fuel and maintenance expenses but most of all production time. This new hurdle could not have come at a worse time for our business as we have spent several million dollars on facility upgrades and have added more than 50 new employees since last May. We currently have plans to increase production 60% by January 1, 2018. This would require even more need of the lake for in water testing.
Another issue that would be caused by this proposal is that we would have to relocate our fall Dealer Shows. This year we plan to have over 40 dealers attend our In-Water Show here in Monticello. This will bring over 100 people to Monticello during the last week of September. As our production numbers grow our dealer participation will increase.
We also use the lake to photograph boats for our national advertisement and brochures. Not having access would force us to use the Arkansas River, Lake Degray, or Lake Ouchita.
In conclusion, Sea Ark Boats is a growing business that depends heavily on the use of Lake Monticello to test and market its product. If the council proceeds with the decision to drain Lake Monticello, it would have a stagnating effect on a deep rooted local business. Again, I’m a big advocate of improving our fisheries but have all options been considered? Would a possible solution be to hold bow fishing tournaments on the lake help reduce the number of Grass Carp? If so, SeaArk Boats would be willing to help sponsor such an event.
Sincerely,
Steve Henderson
President, SeaArk Boats
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really good letter, many fine points a bowhunting tourney is a great idea
Thank you, Mr. Henderson!
Lake Monticello has been used for many purposes, swimming, picnicking, reunions, church services, fireworks shows, water sports, photography settings, fishing, research, teaching, and as a watercraft testing and show area.
Everyone should realize that it is an important resource for the citizens of southeast Arkansas and it has been and can be a greater source of revenue for local business and ultimately the city of Monticello.
The big problem is the condition of the levy that must be repaired. There is no argument with that.
How much should the lake be dropped to repair the levy? I don’t think anyone knows until they start excavating the unstable material. I would think at least 20 foot. Could you launch a boat at that level?
The next major problem with the lake is that it is not a sustainable fishery. Why? Because there is very little cover below the surface to serve as a nursery for small fish and a base for the growth of organisms to establish a healthy food pyramid.
Between March of 2008-2009 Jeremy Risley with the AGFC did a survey of anglers that fished Lake Monticello. Anglers came from 14 states and 71% of those targeted bass. It was projected that all the anglers fishing Lake Monticello spent $647,000/yr on fishing with bass anglers spending $516,000 of that. So you can see that there was a lot of money being spent in our local economy from the great fishery that Lake Monticello once was. Unfortunately this survey was after the fishery had started to decline.
There is no cover because the lake was overstocked with sterile carp and they ate all the vegetation. So how do you get rid of carp? You could wait for them to die. The average life span is 10 yrs. They have been in there longer than that. Are they reproducing? You can shoot them with bows but Lake Monticello averages 8 foot in depth. They would have to be shallow. You might bait them into a cove with corn then drop a net to prevent their escape and poison the cove. How many carp are there? 1000 or 5000 maybe. If you removed 75% of them they would probably eat up any attempt to replant vegetation.
The only sure way would be to drain the lake, establish the aquatic vegetation and then introduce a few carp once the vegetation needed to be controlled.
Another problem with the fishery is white and yellow bass (some people call them striped bass). These compete with bream, crappie and bass for food. Not many people drive and spend money to catch these guys. The only way to get rid of them is to drain the lake. It’s believed they were mixed with wild caught shad that were stocked in the lake. I believe the AGFC now raise shad in hatcheries to prevent this from happening.
I realize the lake gets a lot of use for other things and that some of those are tied directly to the purse strings of certain businesses and individuals. However decisions about the future of the lake should encompass all of those desires to maximize the benefits for city of Monticello and the citizens of southeast Arkansas. Drain the lake and everyone will be happy within four or five years.