I think part of the problem is YP can be wanderers and if possible will stray far from the feeding areas. It is known that fish will travel only limited distances to feeding spots. With ample natural foods in remote areas, pellet fed fish can forage well, or at least survive, and not need pellets. Thus the amount of natural foods and size of water body are important factors. Another concern is how long the pellet trained YP were habituated; the longer, the more likely they will stay eating pellets. Two to four months of pellet training does not instill a strong pellet feeding response in YP, especially older newly trained YP.
YP are not surface feeders and often not open water feeders, but primarinly near bottom and bottom feeders. Thus it is unnatural and not instinctive for them to rise to the surface for a food item. Extended habituation to surface feeding is very important to keep YP eating surface pellets.
A third concern is what is the domesticated history of the parentage of the new YP. A long history favors staying on pellets. For my pellet trained YP I prefer to have them eating pellets 12 to 24 months before release into the open pond.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 09/07/10 08:17 PM.
