Thank you for sharing that information Rube, I never heard of red-eared turtles, but I can see the danger in having them take over lakes and streams if they are aggressive and as you say feed on local wildlife.
In our area we have snapping turtles, that can give a bad bite, but they are native to our area and as a general rule will leave you alone, if you leave them alone.
Hope you continue to follow along.
It then needs to be decided as to which plants to protect and which plants to destroy. Some plants can be controlled by natural means by completely draining a lake or pond, or canal, by permitting the bottom to dry for several days, for this will kill some submersed and emersed weeds. Draining and drying, plus plowing or burning will eliminate cattails and other underwater plants.
In larger bodies of water where the above means are not feasible, lowering the water levels may provide similar control. Shading the bottom by applying black plastic for at least 3 weeks, early in the growing season will kill submerged weeds, algae and other water weeds.
Biological control can also be achieved by the use of grass carp. This experiment is being tested both by the Seminole Indian Tribe, on the reservations and by the Fish & Game Management on Lake Okeechobee and the Calossahattee River, and several canals.
Shallow lake areas can be cleaned with the use of dredges on boats which scrap large amounts of water weeds off the bottom and deposit them along the banks. However, these methods are slow and expensive, and often laborious. They provide only partial or temporary control.
Mechanical methods such as hand tools and cable drag-lines, and underwater cutters provide the means to control weeds without harmful effects to wildlife and fish, livestock and humans. But these methods often increase the spread of submerged weeds, due to cut vegetation being moved by water currents and wind action.
Control of water weeds by herbicides is quicker giving longer lasting results and less expensive. The sprayed weeds die and then decay slowly. The first consideration in selecting herbicides for controlling water weeds is to prevent oral toxicity to humans or other warm-blooded animals. The same applies to effects of spray on fish, or other aquatic animals. Some do not harm fish by the use of low concentrations, but the use of most herbicides for water weed control is regulated and restricted. Many are not allowed in water used for crop irrigation and drinking.
While certain mixtures will control plankton and algae, and filamentous algae, and these low concentrations do not injure bass or bluegills, they will however, kill trout. And while concentrations with copper sulfate measured at o.5 parts per million or 4.3 pounds of pentahydrate crystals per acre can be used in control of the above weeds, but only concentrations up to 4, are considered safe for humans in drinking water.
There is often an increase in the growth of water weeds caused by nutrients in sewage from farms and industrial wastes that rapidly reduces the usefulness and value of inland and off land water areas.
As water problems increase so does the fight against water weeds. It is necessary to maintain a continued supply of water, and this takes the help of federal and state and local agencies and all of mankind to prevent and control aquatic weeds.
