FISH REMOVAL

Not only do ponds need to have fish stocked in them; sometimes they need fish removed from them. In the cases where a pond is being managed for trophy fish - short of draining it and starting over, fish removal is done to remove bass that have overpopulated themselves. The reason being - the standard removal rate for largemouth bass per year in a healthy pond is 35 lb/surface acre. In a pond that is relatively small, this is a manageable feat. In larger ponds, however, it is virtually impossible.

Another instance where fish removal is necessary is in stormwater ponds. Normally, after a few years of a stormwater pond's life, heavy sedimentation can occur; along with man-made trash filling it up. In cases like this, and related to this, there comes a time when the pond has to be drained and cleaned up/worked on in order to get it back to its required specifications. And even though the pond may have never been stocked with fish (other than possibly grass carp), there are still fish always present.

Well, Coastal Plain Land and Lakes can remove fish in two different ways. One way is the old-fashioned way of seining the fish out. It requires one getting a little more dirty (and sweaty), but it is the most efficient way of removing the most fish. Secondly, we can electrofish the water body, and remove as many as possible. In ponds where there is a lot of structure present (i.e. stumps, fallen trees, etc), more than likely, electrofishing is the only way to remove a substantial amount of fish.