How do you define a 100% closed waterway? I have had the fish swim a 100+ yards on their side during summer rain events from streams or small ponds down hill the pond they are seeking. I think they find new location by smell. Many if not most do not make it but rewards huge when they do.
Why did the YOY sticklebacks survive, I would think they also have high oxygen requirements? Was there a shallow area with an air pocket it underneath, or muskrat / beaver burrow?
