The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will build a new oyster reef in Calcasieu Lake soon to help increase oyster habitat and fisheries production.
The project, known as cultch planting, will consist of spreading about 12,500 cubic yards of crushed limestone on the lake bottom to create about 100 acres of artificial oyster reef near Long Point on the east side of the lake.
Construction is tentatively set to begin Monday and should be finished in about two weeks.
The department has overseen the construction of several cultch plants within the area. The most recent consisted of three reefs in 2015. Two of the three 2015 built in the lake were designed to serve as commercially harvestable reefs, while one was constructed outside of the harvest area.