As I see it an additional problem with using gizzard shad besides them getting to large for most bass to eat, is abundant adult gizzards have two major impacts on the total fishery and pond ecosystem. 1. Abundant adults can take up too much fish biomass that is basically unusable other than being brood stock for more young shad. Other species of angler friendly panfish could be better suited as forage fish. 2. Abundant g.shad will change the zooplankton forage base to smaller individuals and overeat the plankton to a point that the shad resort to feeding in the sediments for organics and attached algae (epipelic algae). This in turn causes increased turbidity inhibiting sight feeding by the predators and inhibiting plankton production due to decreased sunlight penetration into the pond/lake. Loss or decline of a healthy zooplankton community will cascade negative impacts upward in the food chain /food web. We are starting go see these impacts or affects in the plankton studies of problematic ponds. G.shad definately have pros and cons. Weigh the situation carefully before using g.shad. G.shad can be real troublesome when out of balance in large body of water. Removal of g.shad is not an easy task in larger water bodies.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/12/13 09:24 PM.
