Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Bluegill Fingerlings Dying

I stocked 1000 3” bluegill fingerlings 3 weeks ago in my new 1/2 acre pond and have noticed several floating up almost every day since. The pond was dug in october and the only thing ive done to it was stock fatheads about 2 months ago. Its 12 ft deep so there should be some cool water for them to get out of this heat. No aeration in place yet, and ive been feeding sportsman floating fish food every evening. Im located in Baton Rouge Louisiana. Id say around 50 to 75 have died since stocking. Should i be concerned or is this typical after stocking fingerlings?

I think your BG deaths are an often result of how fish are harvested and handled and then held at the farm until sold. Deaths after those conditions can be quite variable. Fish farm fish go through a lot of physically handling stressors until sold. Some farms handle fish better than some farms.

I agree 100% with Bill. If water temp is over 60, there will be some mortality. Stocking fish in 70 deg water, you can have multiple factors that stack up against the fish surviving. Stress and immune systems are opposing factors and any time one is high, the other is generally low.

The "cooler water" might not have enough O2 in it for them to survive in it, or even be able to utilize it. Bluegill are "Goldilocks Fish", transporting and stocking them in water that is too hot or too cold is iffy. What was your water temp when they were stocked?