Whoa great info. Not much else I can add after Bob's comments. Sorry I have missed PB. We have been on vacation where I sank our boat so been a bad week luckily all are ok.
This next week we have the PGA Championship so lots to do to keep the ponds on the course looking good.
Here is what we actually state we do for our "lake audit".
The following covers all of the services included in the elctrofishing survey:
� All fish that are sampled are weighed and measured.
� Determination of predator to prey balance
� Disease diagnosis
� Total species abundance
� Identification of any undesirable species present
� Determination of the overall health of the fishery
� Collected largemouth bass will be weighed and measured to provide us with a relative weight (Wr) index. The Wr compares the standard weight of a bass at a given length to the actual weight of the collected bass at the same length. This parameter determines the �plumpness� of the specimens.
� Remove any undesirable or over abundant species.
� Water quality analysis will be conducted for several important water quality parameters. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is measured using an YSI oxygen meter. Hardness and Alkalinity are measured using a digital titrator. A secchi disk, portable pH meter, and portable conductivity meter are used to measure visibility, pH, and conductivity, respectively.
� A site study will be conducted on the physical characteristics of the lake. Any aquatic weeds or algae issues will be identified, observations in regards to the dam and outlet pipe integrity, and fish habitat availability. Maximum depth and average depth will be determined. Satellite imagery is used to accurately report surface acres of the lake.
� A management report will be submitted with detail analysis of the fishery based on the data collected. The report will explain the methods used, background and specific explanations of the results in written and tabulated/graph format. Detailed management recommendations for supplemental stocking strategies, harvesting rates and sizes of over-abundant/competitive species, supplemental feeding recommendations, and lime application and fertilization recommendations. Recommendation will also be submitted with regards any dam/outlet repair, fish habitat enhancement, and/or aquatic weed control. The management report will be submitted in a Power-Point format.
� Additional Services available the following:
o Age/Growth Study: The otolith (ear-bone) will be removed from an adequate sample size of fish to determine the age of the fish. The ages of the fish along with length and weights will be submitted to provide valuable insight into their growth rate and potential.
o Necropsy: All fish will visually be observed for external parasites. In addition to this we will exam the guts of sacrificed fish for the presence or absence of parasite, intestinal worms, flukes, etc. If fish show poor body condition this may provide us some answers.
o Fish Tagging: We will tag up to 50 bass with numbered tags to track growth of those fish. All data (tag number, weight and length) will be submitted in the report to monitor their growth.
