Fish Stocking

[Coochin]

I am interested in buying some fingerlings to stock a farm dam up Mundubbera way . Where would I be able to get hold of some ? What would be the best fish to stock, Golden Perch , Silver Perch or Cod? Also what is the preferred season to introduce fingerlings into the dam. There are plenty of shrimp , yabbies and small fish in the dams , water is usually discoloured due to cattle watering.
Thanks Coochin.

[shayned]

What is the surface area? Average depth?
Conventional wisdom calls for stocking in the warmer months of the year. The best time of the day is just after the morning bite period has finished but the day hasn't gotten hot yet.

There is very little available for stocking at the moment but I can recomend either Mat at SEQFish or Gwen at Sunland fish hatchery. You may still get some silver perch, the next available species will be mullet if someone does a breed this year, maybe check Kurt at Gladstone area water board hatchery. The next ones available will be Bass and Yellows. Anyone of these people can advise you on stocking your dam or you can take some photos and measurements and post here or PM and I'll try to help out.

[Coochin]

Thanks Shayned,
I'll do some maths and get back to you with a PM.

Thanks Wayne.

[shayned]

Nearly forgot Bill Proctor HMC Hatchery isn't far from you and he does some nice fish too. If google earth does shots of the property that is an easy way to work out surface area. The other thing to decide is what style of fshery you are chasing, just food or trophy etc.

[Coochin]

Hi Shayned,
The dam I was thinking of stocking is approx. 140 sq. metres in area with an average depth of around 2 metres and about 4 metres deep towards the middle. I was mainly thinking of fish for sport maybe only eating the odd one. Where is HMC Hatchery located?
Thanks Wayne.

[Coochin]

Sorry Shayned,
Surface area is approx. 700 sq. metres . My old maths skills leave a lot to be desired . Thanks Wayne

[shayned]

Hey Mate,
HMC contact number is 4151 5425.

Also check the following link for DPI advisement http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb/1261.html on stocking private water. My understanding is you can legally stock any native species which naturally occur in your area along with any species listed for your area under the recreational fishery enhancement legislation (see DPI Advisement) Bill will be able to assist if you are unsure.

I'm guessing the dam is roughly about 20m x 35m, the rule of thumb for large dams is 200 fish per hectare (10,000 m2) this allows for an unaugmented dam ie no aeration or suplimentary feeding.

I think you said you have a population of shrimp present this is normally a good indicator that your dam has a good dissolved oxygen level present and depending on levels of nutrients, submerged aquatic weeds and existing food web you may be able to increase the stocking level.

Typical survival rates on stocking range from 50 - 70%.

Currently I'm setting up a 5000 sq m pond and I'm running a at a rate of 1 fish per 50 sq m for the initial stocking which is 2000 fish per hectare. My intention is to run some supplementary feeding using a small floating pellet from about 6-9 months on. This will help growth rates and allow visual checks of fish condition. The intention being to remove fish if they lack condition as I don't want to put a lot of time into feeding on an ongoing basis. Alternatively if the fish are fat and don't appear too interested in taking a bait or lure, I might lift the stocking rate just increase the competition level.

Remember the heavier you stock a pond the more chance you have of disease and also deaths due to lack of oxygen.

If you have concerns regarding water quality I would suggest starting off with Silver Perch, they tolerate a large range of conditions and grow quickly. They also wont predate each other when you add extra fingerlings later. Pound for pound it can be argued they will outdo a bass. I believe they also accept crowding a little better.

Once you know how they are going I would look at adding other species, preferably ones that use different components of the food chain so as to minimise competition for food. If you can stand the expense maybe add 2 Saratoga as they prefer a slightly different food source, I wouldn't add many more than two as they will probably end up killing each other.

The other species that make a great sports fish in small dams is the humble old mullet and as it pretty much eats algae the direct competition for food is low. The right species can reputedly reach over 10kg and even at only 2-3kg they will test anyone on light gear.

If you want to add another dimension look at adding either bass or yellows a little later, of these Bass grows the slowest but fights harder.

The other change you may like to look at is how the cattle use the water, if you got really excited you could fence off the dam and add a gravity feed water trough below the dam outside the fenced area. Maybe also look at planting vegetation in the inflow area to decrease silting.

Also regarding the turbidity sometimes the suspended particles occur as a result of the nature of the particles themselves and these other measures will make little difference, I believe you can sort it out though. At a guess I would try holding 20 litres in a plastic bucket to see if the suspended sediment settles before trying remedial measures.

Undoubtably there will be plenty of opinions and expect Bill would give you even different advice again but for what it is worth I would risk stocking a little higher and add 50 silvers in the first year, if temp, food and O2 is ok they will be giving you a bit of fun in as little as 12 months.

If you can get them, add 10 mullet in the first year as well.

After the first year make a decision on the fish condition and look at adding the toga if that tickles your fancy and some additional species to round out the fishing experience. When purchasing small quantities of fingerling allow approx $1.50 per unit and you should be safe, the toga are a different proposition and can be expensive, if you go that way send me a PM and I'll try to steer you towards a couple of suppliers.

Hope this helps somewhat.

[davez104]

Might be a bit late, but if you haven't sorted anything yet you could contact the local fish stocking group. They have helped others with fish for farm dams before.

Cheers,
Dave.