Warning to all; this will be lengthy!!! (No surprises there)
First off we need to consider what is actually going on here. Different people have different recommendations and comments based on ...? Experience, hearsay, and personal opinion would be the answers I would choose. Some are on this thread to �prove us wrong�, some are onboard to help, and some are just curious. Several of you have tons of experience in this field, and this will serve well if adjustments are needed in the program. Now by all means I am not saying that everything we do should be done the way we say because we know it all. We don�t. Again that is part of the reason for my participation in this forum. I came on to present our side and defend a fish that has been �trash talked� for years without our knowledge, and I am here to learn. Review other threads and you will see that I have not put my �two cents in� at every chance I got. This is not because I do not care, but instead because the wealth of knowledge already on this forum far exceeds my experiences in this industry.
That being said let�s decide on what we want. Are the doubts here based on the fish, or a combination of the fish and stocking recommendations? A good point was made that Gator�s wallet is the one that will be tapped here. I have offered to help out as much as possible with free delivery and anything else I can get by with. Any other offers?
My proposal would be this:
ML can raise the GG and HSB using PB proven procedures (and his experience) to achieve that goal. Gator can stock the GG with LMB or HSB and follow Ken�s guidelines as close as possible allowing a few variables. My thoughts on the HSB were my opinion of the fish based on customer response, and the fact that I like what they do in a pond (both as a predator and as a hook fighter). We sell and stock both, it is customer choice. But again, unless we are willing to make donations to the GG projects, the final decisions will fall on the individual pond owners.
Bill I do not fill you are being harsh at all. You have an abrupt way of stating things (as do many professors), but your comments are based on fact, and my �feelings don�t get hurt�. These facts are what I am studying. Make no bones about it; I have a 2 inch notebook started with info from this forum and other sites. I intend to learn as much as possible from my �homework� and put it to practical use. I will not �conveniently� forget any question posed to me (as you put it), but it might take time to respond because I want my answers to be based on scientific truths. I came on board as an employee of the company who was asked to defend our fish. If I did not still believe in our fish and most of our ways, why would I still be here? Review my posts and you will realize that over � are made at night when I am off the clock (not on payroll). That should be evidence of my sincerity here. By the way, I was assuming my educational experience through you was based on Georgia�s Hope Grant. If not then I will need a scholarship please.
Sunil quote � �This could be a very slippery slope for Holyoak.
Again, not that I personally care, but Deb, I assume your employer knows what you're getting Holyoak into here?� I am not exactly sure what you are implying by asking if Ken knows what I am getting him into. My recommendations on this forum are no different than those made to our customers (adjusted with each situation). It is a plan that works. For me to try to organize this project different just for the sake of the forum would be a practice in deception, and THAT would be doing Ken an injustice. What exactly are we �getting into� by proving our system works? If we indeed practiced in deception then first of all I would not be an employee here, and second I would not offer to jump into this test.
Also you stated:
�If the offspring of the original GG are undesirable, is there not a possibility to make the GG sterile like HSB, Grass Carp, or Tiger Musky? - Sunil
There is always the possibility of sterilization, but that would eliminate the need/want for a predator. It is not that the offspring are undesirable (they are a good food source for the predators); it is their survival that is undesirable. Sterilization is a procedure that has to be done on a very precise timeline. I will not go into genetics, magnets, radiation, and Monosex triploidy right now though, in fact Bill Cody could explain this better than I.
Gator this is your pond. You are left with the final decisions after processing all of the information here. If LMB are your fish of choice, then go for it as I do not believe it will affect the short term test. You are only going 1-3 years if I understand correctly, and the LMB should not over grow the F-1 GG in this amount of time. Not to mention you could trap and release like Bill stated. Also, if ML stays with the HSB then we will have a comparison �down the road� from you, so to speak.
This forum is full of experts. Everyone has a specialty, many have several. I do not consider myself an expert by any means, but to date I am the only one on this forum who deals with the GG on an almost daily basis. I have caught the fish, dissected the fish, and listened to numerous testimonies from customers who have stocked the fish. If I did not believe in the potentials for the GG, I would not be here. As Bruce stated in an earlier post I would have �folded like a cheap tent.�
Deb
