Brian:
To continue the friendly discussion: Stocking with predators should easily eliminate vulnerable fry from the catfish family, but from what I have seen, I seriously doubt it will stop green sunfish. Bob Lusk has frequently said that most established ponds have at least a few green sunfish. If predators were that effective at eliminating fry, wouldn't they prevent all recruitment of centrarchids?
As for the turtles, maybe you are right. I certainly don't think that a turtle will carry eggs a mile through south Texas. In my case it's only about 300-feet through wetlands. The permanent dry ground is probably only 100-feet wide. I assume that you have seen a large snapper with about 1/2-inch of algae on his back, which is essentially a sponge on the back of a small bulldozer. There are many days/nights where there is virtually no chance of the turtle drying out in the 20-minutes that it takes him to travel that distance. There are no fewer than five turtle tracks between ponds each day.
In my situation I think that makes more sense than a bird. Waterfowl plumage is coated with natural oils that repel water. I have a hard time believing that hydrophobic feathers can adsorb a water-based material (fish eggs) and transport it through the air. There are probably several potential dispersal methods, however, I don't believe humans played a role in the case I described. But then again, that's why I studied rocks. Does anyone here believe that all life began from a primordial soup and a bolt of lightening? Maybe its just spontaneous generation.
I assume Bill, Bob, Dave, etc. have tired of this topic or are preparing a Pond Boss article as we speak. Hope they have the definitive answer with pictures and interviews.
