Harvest rate for RES will depend on size of pond and its productivity. You might be able to get 100fish/yr from 1.5 acres but I doubt it could be 100 fish and not 100# (pounds). An 8" RES weighs about 0.36 lbs, and 9" is 0.52 lbs. Thus 100 8"-9" RES weigh about 44 lbs. If RES are the only sunfish in the pond the chances are better at 66fish/ac/yr harvestable. Other things that will lower the harvest is how many RES young are consumed by predators. Heavy predation will IMO reduce the recruitment and harvestable numbers. RES are not real prolific and even moderate predation could strongly reduce recruitment. Food source for RES and pond productivity are important to a pond's carrying capacity of RES. Not a lot of research has been done with the biomass of RES in ponds.
YP will live, reproduce, recruit, and grow in just about any Ohio pond if LMB are not present or kept to a low density and smaller size. Feeding pellets helps grow more and bigger YP similar to what pellets do for BG and other fish. YP accept pellets better than RES and are easier to locate as pellet trained stockers than RES. YP at 8"-12" would provide harvestable panfish reducing the need for harvesting 100 RES per year (66/ac/yr).
Last edited by Bill Cody; 08/03/12 09:41 AM.
