One of the common problems encountered in fish management for small impoundments (AKA ponds) is the reckless introduction of non-desirable sportfish and/or bait species into a pond. This process is carried out by well-intentioned pond owners, also known as “Bucket Biologists”, who think their deeds are serving to improve their pond’s angling opportunities. What they don’t realize, that in most cases, their actions are serving to wreak havoc on the overall productivity of the fish population.
A case in point is the Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus). This species of fish is highly regarded by anglers for spring fishing opportunities, mainly due to their fine “eatin”. While this fish is well suited within the fish population dynamics of a larger sized lake, this species is not suited for smaller impoundments due to the limited habitat available.
Why, you ask? Well it gets complicated—but here goes. In a typical pond there is a critical predator and prey relationship that exists between the largemouth bass, which are the predator, and the bream/bluegill, which are the prey. This relationship is necessary in order to maintain the overall balance in the fish population. The introduction of the crappie negatively affects this balance, since the young crappie also have their “sights” on the same food source as utilized by the bream/bluegill. And the adult crappie’s diet is like that of the largemouth bass as it consists of fish. This introduced competition serves to limits the growth potential of bream/bluegill, which in turn negatively affects the growth potential of the largemouth bass. This situation will reduce the overall growth potential of the largemouth bass, which is not a favorable condition if you are looking to catch quality largemouth.
Once crappie have been inadvertently introduced into a pond, there are limited options that are available to minimize their effect on the fishery. The resolute option is to conduct a total fish renovation process of the pond, which would remove this species. Another option is to introduce an additional forage species, such as threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense). This option would serve to increase the total amount of forage that is available for predation by the largemouth bass, which is the critical element to maximize their growth potential.
Another problem created by “Bucket Biologists”, which may not have anything to do with fishing, is the introduction of exotic aquatic plants into impoundments from aquariums. Again, well intending folks take the unwanted aquarium down to the pond to “save” the fish. It most cases the fish are an exotic species and will not survive. However, the exotic plants, which were a part of the aquarium habitat, find a new happy home and work quickly to take over the pond or lake to disrupt the entire ecosystem. Once this happens, a lake management plan will have to be developed and implemented to properly address the control of the exotic plants in order to reclaim the natural beauty of the lake or pond.
Don’t be part of the problem – NEVER release your, live bait fish, aquarium fish, or aquatic plants into any body of water; and don’t move live fish from one body of water to another. Even if you limit your bucket-dumping to your own pond, you run the risk of relocated species escaping into the watershed and repopulating downstream. It should be noted, that here in Georgia, it’s illegal to release any fish into State Waters without a permit from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, except for lawfully obtained fish from licensed fish dealers of legal species which are to be stocked for private impoundments. If you have any questions or would like more information about fisheries management and or lake management services, please be sure to contact Aquascape Environmental—and always make sure you know what’s in your bucket!
