The Wildlife Department’s Fisheries Division offers free technical assistance to landowners who have questions about managing ponds on their property. Many times, problems with fish diseases, growth, harvest, aquatic vegetation control, and clearing muddy water can be diagnosed over the telephone.
In some cases, fisheries biologists may need to determine the status of the fish population to recommend possible management strategies. Pond owners can assist by providing information on previous management activities including the stocking history and by keeping harvest records. Sampling the fish population by hook and line, recording the number and size of fish caught over a several-week period, can provide the biologists with data that can help them determine what action must be taken to achieve the landowner’s desired goal for the pond.