IMO your LMB first year survival of the first stocking of LMB into a pond full of optimum forage will closer to 70%-90% compared to 30% survival. This assumes the stocker LMB were handled properly from seining to final pond placement. There are numerous handling and holding steps in between seining & pond stocking where health stressors to LMB can easily occur. Stressors kill fish.
This brings me to a question I could use some help with on "Stressors". I think handling fish at low water temps would be a stressor for them with impacts to the slime coat on the fish and they fishes ability to heal from injury. My Oct 19 date was derived because it was on a Saturday where I could get out to the property to "test" pretty much without restriction of daily life and the assumption that the water temp would be quazi high enough not to cause harm to the fish but close enough to the end of the growing season to show where they were at from initial stocking. Is there a lower safe handling temperature - I could monitor this and ultimately do our last "test" just ahead of it?
Last edited by Boondoggle; 09/30/2410:30 AM.
1.5acre LMB, YP, BG, RES, GSH, Seasonal Tilapia I subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine
