Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Trout and YP for snail control

Having a pond in New England requires a different approach to some of the prescribed options elsewhere in the country. Among them are snail control. I have snails that naturally made there way to my pond (I suspect via GBH droppings). I haven't identified the species of snail yet, but will work on that when the pond thaws. My concern regarding snails is their role as an intermediate host to parasites that embed themselves into fish.

I've learned that it is far to cold for RES to do well here, leading me to consider PS as a northern alternative to RES. My reluctance in adding PS is:
- sourcing them
- their affinity to biting swimmers
- and not knowing if SMB and angling will be able to control their population adequately.

I recently discovered that several species of trout are known to eat snails, so much so that there are people who tie flies that mimic snails. Based on a quick internet search, it seems that brown trout, brook trout and rainbow trout are all known to eat snails. What I haven't found is data on what species of snails they tend to eat (I suspect they have a preference). I'm also not clear on what species of snail are more worrisome as intermediate hosts to parasites.

If trout eat snails in sufficient quantity, they could be an option for many of us on here, although I haven't found mention of trout being used for this on here. Has anyone attempted this? If so, what were your results? What trout species did you try? What snail species were you trying to control?

I've also learned that YP will eat snails. Has anyone had success with this? If so, what species of snails were they eating?

Do these snail eating fish end up becoming infested with the parasites that use the snails as an intermediate host?

Also, if anyone has information that would help identify snail species, as well as which species are particularly troublesome, I would be grateful.

I expect that neither trout or YP will be as effective at controlling snails as RES or PS, but I'm looking for alternatives that may be adequate. I'm welcome to any advice.

Very good questions. PS can safely eat snails (some) as they have pharyngeal teeth. The PS are not a vector for snails by consumption. See below. There are other threads on here also.

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=445938

Long thread on PS
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=431975&page=1

Dave Willis dis some study on SMB and PS in a pond in SD. Will try to find.
PS do have one issue that RES don't. PS can stunt in a pond if not managed.

Also use this site to find identified food items by species

https://fishbase.org/search.php

For example here is Rainbow Trout
https://fishbase.org/TrophicEco/Foo...mp;genus=Oncorhynchus&species=mykiss

and Brown Trout
https://fishbase.org/TrophicEco/Foo...p;genus=Micropterus&species=dolomieu

I have cleaned both rainbow trout and yellow perch caught from my pond with snails in their stomachs. In neither species of fish were the snail shells broken. If I recall correctly, the innards of the snails had been digested.

Over the years we've been seeing and catching fewer and fewer YP, most likely due to predation by the GSF and LMB that live in the pond. And, anecdotally, the snail numbers have risen. I haven't identified the snail species. There are some with their spiral like a cinnmamon roll; others spiral like a soft ice cream cone.

I have never identified any grubs in the flesh of the fishes I've eaten from the pond-GSF, BG, HBG, LMB, YP, BCP.

My strong desire is to source some pumpkinseeds to stock. But in more than 10 years, I've been unable to locate a source for these beauties.

4 Corners:
The only place that I have seen PS for sale is Smith Creek fish farm in NY. That won't do you much good in the four corners unfortunately. Another thread on here mentioned Keystone Hatcheries in northern IL but they don't have them on their current price list. Interestingly they have RES on there. I would have thought that northern IL/southern WI was too far north for RES.

RES have been introduced and subsequently created populations all of the way up to the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence seaway.

One advantage of introducing a fish species into your pond beyond the geographic range where it will "thrive", is that it should NOT act as a big factor that tends to strongly shift the existing balance in your pond. Barely reproducing and growing slowly might actually be desirable traits in your pond.

If you can get some RES for a reasonable expenditure of time and money, then they are certainly one of our best tools for snail control. If the worst outcome is that they do not manage to recruit in your pond, then you will become our PB expert on the northern range of RES.

In my non-expert opinion, all fish species have their "preferred" foods, but still tend to be pretty opportunistic. If yellow perch or trout can pluck snails for a meal with a very low expenditure of effort, then I suspect they would also make at least a dent in your population.

If you analyze what new species addition would go best with your existing pond balance of species, you might just try that experiment. If your snail population keeps increasing, then you may have to then go to Plan B.

RES and yellow perch have a very low likelihood of taking over your pond. The trout could probably never take over your pond, unless you never catch any of them and they get very fat and happy and take up too much of your fish "biomass" percentage.

I can't remember, what is your existing fish population and goals? If you add that, the experts may drop in with some better responses.