Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Copper nose and genetics

I have a couple of Questions on Blue-gill, Coppernose that is.
1. How long do Coppernose bluegill live? How many years is their life span?

2. Are the first your Original stockings going to be the largest fish? When the bluegill cross breed amoung them self's do the offer spring get smaller and smaller as each class goes on?

Is this the reason why we have to continue restocking?

Usually your originally stocked fish are going to have the best growth rates and provide the best opportunity to grow a trophy, but this isn't always true as Eric stated. However, the first stocked fish have the least amount of competition and therefore far more resources than subsequent generations that are actually born in your pond.

If a pond has had year and years of "cross breeding" between a limited number of original parent fish, this can lead to inbreeding and reduce the growth rates and size potential of fish. When stocking a pond, choosing to stock species from different sources may be a good idea for those fish you plan on naturally reproducing in your pond. Often the removal of a certain percentage of a certain species of fish from a pond and replacing it with new genetics from an outside source can help solve some of the genetic inbreeding and increase growth rates and ultimately size potential. Usually the biggest factor in older well established ponds is the simple lack of food. Too many fish and not enough resources to feed them all... This is often seen in unmanaged ponds with LMB.

There is nothing in the fish's genetics that would make subsequent generations of fish less fit (not able to grow as well) for some years or limit their growth rates. Its in how the pond is managed mostly enough food and adequate harvest.

For example if there is no pellet feeding for the first few years while the BG and LMB grow then the LMB start to get numerous and you start pellet feeding the 2 and 3 year old BG will start to get bigger than the initial stockers because there will be fewer of them and more food. Its in the pond's mgt.

CJ accurately describes what happens with the initial stockers absent mgt. Man is the ultimate mgt tool.