Is it likely that these bass and perch who were introduced as fry along with adult FHM have already decimated the forage fish population? If so, how many FHM would I need to add now to sustain a healthy forage population? Thanks for your thoughts.
Hi BonZoso, and welcome to the Pond Boss Forum!
The answer really depends on your cover. If you have shallow areas with plentiful weeds and/or grass in your pond, chances are your forage has survived. If you have little, then your LMB and YP have probably decimated the forage. It takes lots of very shallow water and/or lots of vegetative cover for FHM to survive and reproduce. Iris's, rushes, and lilie's are good cover if they are dense and shallow enough to admit large numbers of FHM but obstruct the LMB and YP. If you have little cover, adding more FHM would be more akin to a large feeding than to a permanent food source.
Don't give up on your forage reproduction yet. FHM and GSH fry are probably tiny at present, and could be very hard to find.
