All aspects of fish habitat are important and beneficial when it comes to fisheries management. From vegetation and structure to water quality, it’s important to take every aspect of your aquatic ecosystem into consideration. Structural habitat provides needed refuge to small fish and the desired hunting grounds for larger fish. Successful pond managers maintain a healthy balance of
habitat relative to the overall pond size and depth. Structures such as logs, rocks, old farm equipment and more modern habitats can serve as great attention-getting locations for aquatic life. Too many structures will spread fish out, making it difficult for predator fish to feed and fisherman to catch. Too few will make it easy for predators to “gang up” on smaller fish. Although vegetation is of ten considered a nuisance, it can play an important role in the health of your aquatic ecosystem. During the cold months when vegetation falls to the pond’s bottom, fixed structures will become more important.
Water
quality plays a large role in keeping both the fish and the surrounding aquatic ecosystem healthy and prosperous. With a fit environment you w
ill set the foundation for an ecologically balanced fishery. Proper water quality management considers many parameters such as dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, ammonia, alkalinity, phosphates and visibility. Knowing the highs and lows of these parameters throughout the course of the year will give a good indication of any improvements needed. Poor water quality puts significant stress on your fish. Even with plenty of available food, fish will not grow and develop properly in unhealthy water. Very good and informative article to read on….