Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Salmon in my pond

I recently released around 500 pink salmon frye in my pond, if i do not let them escape will they live in my pond or do they need to go out to the see, my pond has a stream leading to a large river which then leads to the ocean, the other end of the stream goes to another pong about a quarter mile away could these salmon survive here or should i let them go to the sea.

Do you know how warm your pond water would get during the summer? Pink salmon require rather cold(less than 66 degrees) temps to do well. So they may not survive in your pond even if you did keep them from migrating down stream...

It scares me a bit to hear, that you have realesed a fish, not knowing what can happen if they get released or run off, down stream.
They will try to get to the sea at some stage, and if they do reach a river, that have a wild stock of salmon they can be a big threat(potentialy) to them
Her in Norway, run aways from fish farms, has iterbreaded/mixed with the wild ones, spreading deases and bad genes.
The government,countys has spend a thremndus amount off money, tying to recover/repair rivers and wetlands that was partly/totaly destrid in the -60s and -70 by acid-rain, and it has been a hughe sucsess, the throut and salmon was saved.
But thru the -80s,-90s and stil going, fish farming has boomd, its now strict regulationes thru legislation, but the wild local, salomon and throut, are loosing terain at a spooky phase, again.

If you stock a dam, with fish that can go down stream, and mix geens with a local habitant, you must see to it that, the ones you put out originates from that particular creek,stream or river.
Otherwise you can unawerly be the creator off a local genocide, that would not ad any cred. to your reputation

PAUL

the fish are no longer alive all weekend birds came and ate what i think is all of them thank you guys though

Just curious, How big are pink salmon frye?

They had just been hatched and a friend of mine said that if i let them go in my pond then they will come back and spwan so i let them go but i am now afriad all of the birds and frogs have got them as when i looked last there was no sigh of any of these fish.

I have to agree with our Norwegian friend that the "law of unintended consequences" is a b$#%^. Introducing any no native species to a BOW where escape/release to another BOW is not only possible, but very likely is a bit reckless. Who knows what effect the fish could have on a local ecosystem? You just don't know what can happen and because of that I can not recommend you releasing them to the river.

I think the pinks would probably undergo severe predation in your pond as they will be at a competitive disadvantage to your actual established fish populations. As you said you think the birds already put a hurting on them.

If I was in your shoes I would have put the fish in my pond, just bc it would be cool as hell to have a pink salmon population in a pond! Then I would pull a quick "What have I done" and hope they don't survive. As I stated above it is probably for the best that they do not survive as a non-native anadromous fish species could create a real problem.

Based on where the pond is located they well may be natural to his area. The instructions he received sound like the intent was to put them in the pond knowing they would head for the ocean, then return to spawn in the pond. Adding as opposed to detracting.

It is two differente things, to stock a pond for fishing, or to restore a habitat, for the purpose of the fish to come back to spawn.
There is a lot off simmilareties, but they don't mix weryvel.
And are to my knoledge strictliy illegal or at least strictly regulated.

No matter wich one you go for, it is vise to do the homework first.
homework on this matter is wath is my goals/purpose, and how do I go about, to achive this, if posible.
Either one should be possible, and experience/knoledge you earn on the way, will be a gain in your future sucses rate.
Good luck
PAUL

Her you can get started
http://www.nina.no/archive/nina/PppBasePdf/temahefte/2006/34.pdf

PAUL

Not knowing his goals I can't say what Bentrout's reason for stocking was, but I can wholeheartedly agree with knowing what you are doing before you do it.

Amen to that !!! There is enough risk when you know what is supposed to happen. Why add to that. Knowledge is critical.

Triple Amen! And some of those things we do due to ignorance are hard to undo or costly!