Fishery Population Control

[Newt]

I know that Steve Burke manages his fishery to grow trophy size fish. I suspect that some clubs do the same.

 

I am curious about how you do population density control of successful breeding populations. In the US, we'd simply keep enough smaller fish to allow the larger ones to grow even larger.

 

The smaller ones would either be moved or eaten. Take largemouth bass for instance. The way to grow bigguns is to remove smaller ones so after consulting with an expert about amounts, the fishery owner would decide to remove 20lbs per acre or 30lbs per acre or whatever each year and to remove any bass caught and under a certain length until enough had been taken out.

 

Larger waters are managed in a similar fashion but with some combination of total bag limit for the day and either a minimum size that can be kept or a slot that can - say 13-16 inches or something.

 

But this doesn't seem to fit in with what I read about UK fishery management of coarse fish..

 

[ 15. May 2004, 08:38 PM: Message edited by: Newt ]

[Nugg]

Here's one mans view on on the subject Newt.

 

http://www.fisheriesmanagement.co.uk/

[Vagabond]

Interesting, Nugg

 

There is a lot about destocking/cropping and the suggestion that the club/fishery sells on the surplus fish.

 

Good sensible stuff, but who will buy these surplus fish? Other clubs, other fisheries ? OK to start with, but eventually, if everyone tries that, there will be lots of small surplus fish that nobody else wants.

 

In the USA, surplus fish tend to be various percids and sunfishes and a lot get taken away by anglers and eaten. In Britain, the surplus fish are mainly cyprinids, considered inedible by most Anglo Saxons and Celts, and catch-and-release rules OK. (Should any other ethnic group who are prepared to eat cyprinids try to do so, there is uproar, and the debate rapidly becomes racist)

 

So what might happen to any surplus fish ? If anyone suggests digging them in as manure he would probably get lynched - coarse fish have sacred cow status here.

 

I have nothing to do with fishery management these days, but held that responsibility for a number of clubs in the past. Usually any suggestion of cropping/destocking made by a fishery management committee used to provoke an "over my dead body" reaction from the match-fishing elements that control many club committees.

 

Before anyone takes the needle at that, let me say there are honorable exceptions.

 

Now, I let others make these decisions. The only decisions I make on fishery management is "which clubs/syndicates/fisheries do I join" The answer is "those whose policy seems good to me", which is why I applied to fish at Wingham.

[Newt]

quote:

---

... destocking/cropping and the suggestion that the club/fishery sells on the surplus fish.....

 

In the USA, surplus fish tend to be various percids and sunfishes and a lot get taken away by anglers and eaten. In Britain, the surplus fish are mainly cyprinids ... and catch-and-release rules OK.

---

My thoughts exactly Vagabond. Great control method but it would seem that social pressure from other anglers might make it a non-starter no matter how sensible it was.

[Scott]

Vagabond:

 

but who will buy these surplus fish? Other clubs, other fisheries ? OK to start with, but eventually, if everyone tries that, there will be lots of small surplus fish that nobody else wants.

Makes you wonder whats going to happen to all the Carp that keep getting throw in all these comercial fisheries, at the monent once there to big for the match anglers they are sold off to the specimen waters, there are only so many waters!

Cant be many years before every water holds Carp.

[Nugg]

I can think of one outlet at least, when I buy frozen pre-packed Roach dead bait, there are usually 3/4 in a pack if I buy 3 packs thats approx 11 fish. If say there were 100 like minded anglers throughout the Country that would be 1,100 fish. If say, these same 100 anglers did the same at least 10 times a season we are talking 11,000 fish. Thats just one species, which would be acuired by the packaging company from somewhere.

Then take into account any stock that would be at the shop, package company or wholesaler.

We are talking a lot of fish from just one outlet.

[Steve Burke]

Very few clubs manage their fisheries to grow big fish. This is largely because they legally have to be run on democratic lines. As different members have different ideas, the result is almost inevitably a compromise between quantity and quality.

 

The same grows for publically controlled waters, which again usually have to be all things to all men.

 

Most commercial day ticket waters are grossly overstocked to say the least. The idea is to provide easy fishing so that customers can "bag-up", thus ensuring that they'll return.

 

Each of the above fulfils a particular need, in many cases very successfully. However, very few are professionally managed as in the States.

 

At Wingham, I've pursued a different plan by deliberately setting out from day one to grow very big fish of various species. So far it's paying off, but I'm not quite there yet.

 

There's a host of factors involved, and there's space to touch on only a few here.

 

Firstly, I stocked at a very much lower level than normal. This gives the fish the maximum chance to grow to their full potential, and also leaves room for them to grow.

 

Secondly, the predator/prey balance is carefully monitored. (Newt, bear in mind that the vast majority of our fish are non-predatory - what are called rough fish in the U.S.). There's no pike fishing except by rare invitation as a guest on one of my own pike sessions. This is because the accidental loss of big pike could have an adverse affect on the whole ecosystem.

 

All members have to record when they fish and give details of any pike caught, including their general condition. This enables me to monitor the situation. For instance, I may soon decide to take out some medium-sized pike from the Carp Lake (a slot limit, Newt?). This is because, unlike their smaller and larger relations, they may not be thriving as there's possibly insufficient food of the right size.

 

Thirdly, up until this year all small carp were removed as caught. (It's proved almost impossible to net due to the mass of gravel bars, and very difficult to electic fish due to the depth). The limit was originally 10lbs, but was increased in stages to 17lbs.

 

This ensured that fish that didn't do well for whatever reason were automatically weeded out. True, it meant that some fast-growers born in Wingham were also removed, but only a proportion. Here a number of members disagreed with me, but I stuck to my guns and many have now seen the light! Indeed, it looks as though we've recently already had our first home-grown 30lber.

 

Finally, one of the keys has been low fishing presure, which I'm convinced has an adverse effect on growth rates.

[Newt]

I may soon decide to take out some medium-sized pike from the Carp Lake (a slot limit, Newt?).

 

Yup. Slot limit.