Theo,
Well.....we�re definitely within the �shield� area. Whether you call it Canadian or Precambrian, I guess depends on where you live. A cousin of mine, now a retired DNR officer in Ohio, calls it a Swale. The locals in the U.P. refer to it as a Bayou. To me it�s a pond.
I think I�m going the same direction as you as far as the cause of the die off. I am, however, having some trouble on a couple points. Would all of the original stocking die off just due to larger body mass, or would some survive? Even one or two? Also, what about the last couple batches that were spawned last year that, by ice over, would have been no larger than the minnows that survived. Our original stocking was with fish the size of a quarter and was done in early August. The minnows average 1 1/2" to 2". Some get up to 4". The winter kill theory is the best we have, but all the pieces don�t fit.
To add to my last post there are cormorants hanging around, a pair of Bald Eagles nesting 100 feet from the pond, and a new fact I just found out. A neighbor on one side whose property is slightly overlapped by our pond could possibly have put something in the water to kill a Beaver he�s sure we have. We are just as sure we don�t have a Beaver. The first two would not get all the HBG�s, and the last would get everything.
rick
