Agricultural News
Drought Allows for Pond Management
Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:41:08 CDT
There is one key ingredient for ponds to be able to function as designed: water.
With the extreme dry conditions that most of Oklahoma has been experiencing over the past several months, many ponds have become noticeably smaller in surface area, which causes several problems, but allows the opportunity for some renovation.
Some of the problems include a decrease in palatability for livestock, followed by lower water consumption, unhealthy fish and low oxygen fish kills, said Marley Beem, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension aquaculture specialist.
"Skinny fish in a shrinking pond will probably benefit from increased harvest. Low oxygen fish kills also are possible as nutrients become concentrated causing algae growth to increase," he said. "In some cases low oxygen kills can be averted by using a pump set to aerate water when fish show signs of gulping or piping at the surface."
A more effective way of reducing the risk of a fish kill is to harvest an "at risk" pond heavily and fill the freezer. While no one wishes for a drought, opportunities for maintenance work on ponds are provided.
"Edge slumping and cattle traffic can produce shallow shorelines and ideal conditions for the growth of cattails, bulrush and other generally unwelcomed pond plants," Beem said. "Low water levels can allow access by equipment to rebuild the slope to a more desirable 3:1 slope."
Some ponds may have a black layer of organic matter on the bottom. These ponds will benefit greatly from completely draining the pond and drying it until the bottom cracks.
Also, ponds overrun with carp, bullheads, stunted crappie or other undesirable fish can be renovated by draining the pond and completelydrying the bottom. A clean start with bass, bluegill and catfish fingerlings is recommended.
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