Buck-Man, if that "reputable hatchery" was Logan Hollow or Fountain Bluff, they are indeed good hatcheries and I'm sure a call will get your fish replaced. I haul a LOT of minnows, and unfortunately, sometimes a tank will get stressed and I have to make a return trip, no matter how careful the haul is.
For what it's worth, it can appear that a LOT of minnows die when in fact, weight wise, it is very few. That does NOT sound like it's the case in your situation however. 1/2 of a 5 gallon bucket of dead fish would be about 20 pounds....near half your stocking. That seems like a very high amount for a "10' section of shore" as the FHM will spread throughout a pond without predators. Makes me think he may have given you a lot more than 40# in anticipation of a large die-off.
Give the hatchery a call, try to keep the anger and emotion out of it and be as factual as possible...most all hatcheries will stand behind their fish, since reputations are everything in this business!
EDIT: "Filled half of a gallon jug" Only about 4 pounds, but still too high on a mortality %. A 2% loss is almost "expected" on minnows, and is almost always gets covered with "extra fish" being stocked originally by most haulers/hatcheries.
Last edited by Rainman; 09/21/15 09:00 AM.
