I see that TJ added more thoughts.

I do stockings every year (mostly) to keep things in the direction I want. If I didn't do yearly stockings, nature would take it's course and I'd eventually end up with LMB, Bullheads, Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Suckers.

Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."