Farm Fish Pond Research in Iowa

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Abstract
The approx. 3400 farm fish ponds in Iowa are mostly in the s. half of the state where other fishing waters are scarce. Population estimates using seines and the marking and recovery technique on 30 ponds have given standard errors of estimate as low as 5-10%, but have failed in some cases to agree with estimates detd. by rotenone treatment. Collection of fish following rotenone treatment varied from 14-94%, making it difficult to evaluate the data unless marked fish were included. Failure of the marking and recovery technique was believed to be due to a tendency for some individuals to be more easily captured than others. The populations as estimated by marking and recovery had ratios of forage to carnivorous fish, and percentages of fish which were of catchable size, that were generally in the ranges expected in these ponds as classified by the Swingle minnow-seine method of determining "balance." Many ponds are chemically and thermally stratified limiting the fish during the summer months to the upper 3-5 feet of water. Apparently the fish forage for short periods of time in the deoxygenated water.

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