While doing some searching I found this talk on general Fishery Management Principles by Bob Lusk (from "trying to figure it out" ). To borrow his analogy, it is a "String of Pearls" of wisdom.

 Quote:
Originally posted by Bob Lusk:
Here's a few principles of fishery management for private lakes and ponds.

1) A fishery is dynamic, ever changing. Creatures eat each other, so numbers and sizes always change.

2) The fishery will only be as productive as its food chain.

3) Predators eat prey. Too many predators will overeat the prey, always.

4) Too much prey, predators are fat.

5) Well balanced fisheries have multi-sizes of multi-species, with varieties of cover and native plants.

6) The more predators you have for a given forage base, the smaller the average size your predators will be.

7) A 12 inch bass had to weigh 12 ounces, or it wouldn't have grown to 12 inches. So, if your 12 inch bass weighs 8 to 10 ounces, it lost weight. That's a reflection of imbalanced predator/prey relationships.

8) Diversification of forage species is a great idea, and adds to fisheries management. Diversification of predator species complicates management.

9) Too many mouths feeding on too little food creates too few forage fish and skinny predators.
Ain't this stuff fun?

10) Feeding fish can be a great asset, by expediting growth rates and increasing a pond's standing crop. But, be aware of this...feed two pounds of fish food, you get one pound of fish, one pound of waste. Your pond becomes a septic tank. Too much waste in too little water leads to a natural correction. And, you won't like it.

11) Pond management is built around solid science and a vast amount of art. Water quality, chemistry, fish species, plant types, soils, nutrients, management styles all play a role. So many variables, only one life to figure it out. Do what works for you, and try to learn from everyone else's mistakes.

12) Look at your strategy as a necklace. Add a pearl, then another. Wear it, enjoy.

13) Heed the advice of professionals.

14) Heed the advice of amateurs.

15) Heed the advice of experiences.

16) Forget all the above, and do it like you want.


"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever."
-S. M. Stirling
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