Aquarius Systems joined forces with Ray Scott (founder of B.A.S.S.), the Lower Colorado River Authority, Texas Parks & Wildlife, the Tennessee Valley Authority and numerous fishing & environmental groups in giving a demonstration of an Aquatic Plant Harvester for Texas Governor George Bush.
The TVA brought their specially designed Aquarius harvester from Guntersville, Alabama to be tested on Lake Bastrop approximately 40 miles southeast of Austin, Texas. During the week long demonstration, research teams rode along on the harvester to study its effectiveness and environmental impact on fisheries.
On the last day of the demo, Ray Scott convinced Governor Bush to come out and take a ride on the harvester. After a quick lesson, the Governor got into the driver’s seat to put the machine through its paces.
Governor Bush stated; “I am an avid fisherman and Ray [Scott] is deeply concerned about fishing, food chains and habitat. He and I had a long talk about how do we make sure Texas lakes are not only accessible to all water users, but are the best places to fish in America. I’d love to be the governor to stand up and say anybody can put their bass boat in our lake and catch the biggest fish in America. And so the question is, is there a way to manage hydrilla and at the same time be able to have water use for all our citizens, including the best bass fishing in America? This harvester is a good way to get it all done.”
This demonstration was in response to overwhelming public pressure to find alternatives to using herbicides in Texas lakes to manage excessive aquatic vegetation.