Lower stocking numbers of WE are historically used to imitate what are found in natural populations. This is not to say that stocking higher numbers of WE/ac is bad or not to be done. However in a mixed fish community I am not confident more WE that a few per acre will thrive in a existing mixed fish community especially when habitat is not optimum for WE and competition from larger fish is 'strong'. Abundant usable forage numbers allow WE to thrive and in a mixed fish community competition for small forage fish is 'strong'.
Also water clarity with secchi disk reading of 12ft-18ft in indicative of low productivity water which does not support a high poundage of predator fish; more in the range of 10-20 lbs per ac for infertile habitats.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/10/19 08:02 PM.
