Louisiana’s landscape is dotted with small ponds ranging in size from less than one acre to several acres. Some of these ponds are natural while others were excavated for fill for constructing house pads or specifically for fish. Whatever the reason for construction, most are considered “fish ponds” by their owners. A workshop to assist pond owners with management issues will be held Tuesday, April 30, 2013, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Calcasieu AgCenter Meeting Room, 7101 Gulf Highway, Lake Charles.
The two most common questions concerning ponds involve muddy waters and aquatic weed control. When ponds are initially constructed, clay particles will suspend in the water column. In most situations, when grass covers the runoff area and surrounding pond bank, the water will eventually clear. However, in some cases, these clay particles remain in suspension for extended periods of time. Some methods for clearing ponds will be discussed.
Aquatic weeds are the number one issue fish pond owners seem to have problems with. If the pond water gets clear enough to allow sunlight to penetrate past 18 inches or so, aquatic weeds will eventually establish themselves. Preventing this situation can be accomplished by promoting phytoplankton growth or by using dyes. Once weeds become established, control can be difficult. The first step in controlling weeds is proper identification. If you have a weed problem in your pond, bring a sample in a plastic bag to the workshop, we will try to identify and make a control recommendation.
Other management topics to be covered at the workshop include: recommended fish species and stocking rates, population monitoring, and harvest rates.
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