Pond Management
Chapter 21
Ponds or Small
Impoundments



<2.5 hectares or 6
acres
Usually privately
owned
Various uses
 Some especially for
fish production
 Others for
irrigation, livestock
watering
North American Ponds
Fish Management Goal




Provide annual crops
of harvestable-size
fish (within constraints
of pond fertility)
Sustained or
improved fishing
Favorable cost/benefit
ratio
High catch rates,
above-average sizes
Fish Management Goal

Problem - private
ownership

Owner responsible
for implementing
management
practices
Fish Management Goal


Lack of
understanding or
unwillingness to do
what is necessary
Leads to
unbalanced fish
populations and
poor fishing
Dependence on Stocking


Artificial habitats
almost entirely
dependent on
stocking
Warmwater



Southern bass/bluegill
Northern - bass/other
Coldwater - trout
Stocking/Management
Options

Provide good
fishery quickly

Meet needs of
pond owner

Relate to physical,
monetary limits
All-Purpose Option

Good bass, bluegill
fishing (maybe also
catfish)

Often use slot limit
for bass
Harvest Quota Option

Remove set
number or biomass
of bass

Stop harvest once
quota is reached
Panfish Option

Focus only on
panfish - usually
bluegill

Single-species fish
community
Big Bass Option

Maximum size limit
for bass (larger fish
must be returned)

Lots of little bluegill
(children fishery)
Catfish-Only Option

Most often used
only in muddy or
small ponds

Single-species fish
community
Bass-Only Option

Focus only on bass
(usually
largemouth)

Single-species fish
community
Trout Option

Rainbow trout

Coldwater pond usually spring-fed
Stocking Rates for
Fingerlings
Species
Number per hectare
Largemouth bass
250
Bluegill
2,500
Channel catfish
Trout
500 (single), 250 (multi)
600 (west), 1,500 (east)
Growth Management






Predators
Harvest
Spawning
Supplemental feed
Fertilization
Liming
Balance?

Can balance be expected?

Artificial system - low stability
Some Targets

Relative weight Wr

Wr of all species
should be close to
100
Some Targets




Proportional stock
density
Quality/stock X 100
Largemouth bass 40-60%
Bluegill - 20-40%
Size to Stock
Some Targets





Biomass index
F:C ratio
F = forage fish
C = carnivore
3.0-6.0
Managing Old Ponds

Do nothing

Corrective stocking
- usually predator

Reclamation
Managing New Ponds




Use
Size - area, depth
Drain
Fish cover
 Underwater
structure
 Macrophytes