The rearing of LMB to 1.5 to 2.0 lbs is expressly what I am involved in. The technology is relatively easy to command once you have in place resources needed to engage in pond culture and ideally capacity to hold fish at high density during feed training and immediately prior to marketing. From what I have been seeing, fish in a pond feeding well on pellets in a pond setting put little or no effort into going after natural forages. It is not unlike what goes on in a stream setting where some bass exhibit a strong preference for fish while others go mostly for crayfish. Search images and likely experience impacts on handling time help a fish decide where to invest feeding effort. It is pretty easy to see this stuff with groups of bass that are very easy to observe and distinguish.


Aquaculture
Cooperative Research / Extension
Lincoln University of Missouri