The Louisiana 
                    Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is reminding the public 
                    that the take and possession of grass carp and the use of 
                    gill and trammel nets in a restricted area of Avoyelles Parish 
                    where the department has stocked grass carp for aquatic weed 
                    control is prohibited. This new rule went into effect on May 
                    20.
                  The grass 
                    carp restricted area in Avoyelles Parish includes the Spring 
                    Bayou Complex that includes the Spring Bayou Wildlife Management 
                    Area (WMA), Old River and Little River.
                  The purpose of 
                    this new rule is to help protect the 11,000 grass carp purchased 
                    by the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury and recently stocked into 
                    the Spring Bayou Complex to help control hydrilla, which covers 
                    about 80 percent of the complex’s waterways. 
                  Grass carp have 
                    shown to be an effective nuisance aquatic weed control method 
                    on certain types of water bodies.