Triploid vs Donaldson Rainbow trout - 01/18/03 06:27 AM
Exploring feasibility/legality of introducing
a trout species to a approx 2.5 surface acre
lake in Western Washington.
Lake has a mud bottom (10 feet deep), 7 gallon
per minute flow rate during driest period of
summer, a modest stocking of 5 to 8 inch
cutthroat trout, no forage minnow fish,
vertical outflow stand pipe (rigged to be
beaver proof), and surrounded with maturing
second growth timber (ie edges of pond are
shaded even into the summer months).
Objective is to create a fisheries that would
yield some respectable sized eating fish. For
years the pond has only produced a puny offering
of small cutthroat trout (10 inches is a whopper)
The pond is 30 miles from home making feeding
unrealistic. Any automatic feeder would be
vandalized in no time.
Suspect poachers, king fishers, transient otters,
and lack of forage fish to be negatively impacting
quality and quantity of fish.
Know the cutthroat would be cannibalistic to
new introduced fish....
(F&W dept forbids stocking of mosquito fish, Gambusis, or Fat head minnows....non-native)
Any advice as to best way to proceed?
Obviously Triploid trout would have to be
periodically restocked whereas Donaldson have
a possibility of regenerating. Suspect the
Triploids would have faster growth rates and
pass forage fish size to the existing cutthroat
population.
Your thoughts.
Trout Doubt (aka Bullhead Bob)
a trout species to a approx 2.5 surface acre
lake in Western Washington.
Lake has a mud bottom (10 feet deep), 7 gallon
per minute flow rate during driest period of
summer, a modest stocking of 5 to 8 inch
cutthroat trout, no forage minnow fish,
vertical outflow stand pipe (rigged to be
beaver proof), and surrounded with maturing
second growth timber (ie edges of pond are
shaded even into the summer months).
Objective is to create a fisheries that would
yield some respectable sized eating fish. For
years the pond has only produced a puny offering
of small cutthroat trout (10 inches is a whopper)
The pond is 30 miles from home making feeding
unrealistic. Any automatic feeder would be
vandalized in no time.
Suspect poachers, king fishers, transient otters,
and lack of forage fish to be negatively impacting
quality and quantity of fish.
Know the cutthroat would be cannibalistic to
new introduced fish....
(F&W dept forbids stocking of mosquito fish, Gambusis, or Fat head minnows....non-native)
Any advice as to best way to proceed?
Obviously Triploid trout would have to be
periodically restocked whereas Donaldson have
a possibility of regenerating. Suspect the
Triploids would have faster growth rates and
pass forage fish size to the existing cutthroat
population.
Your thoughts.
Trout Doubt (aka Bullhead Bob)