NEW IDEAS FOR THE OLD FARM POND

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STOCKING SYSTEMS

The accompanying table lists several farm pond stocking systems that have proved effective. Obviously, this sampling—which includes both conservative and innovative setups—is intended only to suggest the range of possibilities and to supplement information available from your local SCS and/or fisheries extension agents. These folks' recommendations, though somewhat conservative, will provide a sound basis for your fish-stocking endeavors. Keep in mind, too, that each pond is unique and that even two neighboring bodies of water may differ greatly as to their biological and chemical makeup. (Stocking systems and other farm pond culture techniques are dealt with in more detail in my book The Freshwater Aquaculture Book: A Manual for Small Scale AquacultureinNorth America, which will be published by Cloudburst Press later this year.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION . . .

A good magazine for the serious farm pond fish culturist is Farm Pond Harvest (subscriptions are $8.00 per year from Professional Sportsmen's Publishing Company, Dept. TMEN, RR 2, Momence, Illinois 60954). Other sources of farm pond facts are the booklets on the topic that are put out by various state agencies. These manuals are usually free to state residents and are sold at a nominal cost to nonresidents. All of the state booklets that I've seen contain worthwhile information, but I'm particularly fond of "Producing Fish and Wildlife from Kansas Ponds" (available from the Kansas Fish and Game Commission, Dept. TMEN, RR 2, Box 54-A, Pratt, Kansas 67125 . . . it's free of charge to residents and can be had for $2.50 postpaid if you're a nonresident). This 56-page manual examines all the uses of the farm pond and offers a number of stocking options.

Each of the references mentioned here offers a slightly different viewpoint on the specifics of homestead fish culture, of course, but they all share the recognition that the farm pond was originally conceived as a multipurpose facility . . . and, as such, its use is subject not only to the laws of biology but to human whimsy as well. The possibilities offered by farm pond fish culture are only just now beginning to be perceived. These publications are ushering us out of a slightly stodgy era of conservative farm pond practices and into a period of innovation. I hope you'll he inspired to get in on the fun!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Aquaculturists interested in intensive fish farming techniques, such as cage culture, will want to read Bill McLarney's article "Fish Farm with cages"; which appeared in MOTHER NO. 81, page 38. (For information about ordering back issues, turn to page 132.)

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