SURVEY OF FISHING
IN 1000 PONDS

in 1959

HUG ^^^ri^L

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

BUREAU OF SPORT FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE

Circular 86

Cover. --Fishing in a pond in Pennsylvania, an excellent vay to
spend a day.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Fred A. Seaton, Secretary

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE,

Arnle J. Suomela, Coimnissioner

BUREAU OF SPORT FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE,
Daniel H. Janzen, Director

A SURVEY OF FISHING, IN 1959, IN 1,000 PONDS
STOCKED BY THE BUREAU OF SPORT FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE

Conducted by the Branches of Fish Hatcheries
and Fishery Management Services

Reported by

Willis King, Chief

Branch of Fishery Management Services

FISH AND WILDLIFE CIRCULAR 86
Washington • May 196O

CONTENTS

Page

Purpose of the Survey 1

Plan of the Survey 1

Findings of the Survey , 5

Regional Highlights 10

Management Implications n

Contribution to the National Fishing Effort l6

References Cited 17

Survey Form l8, 19

Table 1. Summary of Returns Q, 9

Table 2. Sviramary of Returns by Regions 12, 13

Table 3. Reasons for Poor Fishing ik

11

SUMMARY

The program of stocking farm and ranch ponds with fish produced
at the national fish hatcheries was evaluated in January I96O by a
survey of 1,000 ponds. This sample, which was randomly chosen,
represents l/UOth of the number of ponds stocked in 1957 hy the
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife with bass, bluegill, redoar
sunfish and catfishes. A questionnaire, approved by the Bureau of
the Budget, was employed in 25 States in connection with personal
interviews of pond owners or managers by fishery biologists and
hatchery personnel.

Pond owners reported that their principal reasons for building
the ponds were to provide water for livestock (80 percent) and fish-
ing (70 percent) . Of those persons fishing the ponds, 52 percent
were men, 23 percent women, and 25 percent children. Eighty-two
percent of the ponds were described as providing excellent or satis-
factory fishing. Ponds provided fishing in 1959 at the rate of 6k
fisherman-days per acre. Bass and bluegill were the principal species,
with an average catch of 5^ bass and 276 bluegill and other sunfish
per acre. Catfish, including bullheads, contributed to the fishing
in 20 percent of the ponds.

Twenty-one percent of the pond owners had added fish on their
own, and 30 percent of the ponds contained wild fish. In ponds
where fishing was unsatisfactory, too many small bluegills, muddy
water, and presence of wild fish were the reasons most commonly
advanced.

Conservation programs of the Department of Agriculture provided
financial assistance to 7I percent of the pond owners toward the
costs of constructing the ponds; 8^4- percent reported they had received
technical guidance from the Soil Conservation Service.

Assuming a productive life of at least 5 years, and projecting
the findings on 1,000 ponds to all ponds stocked by the Bureau,
from 1953 to 1957> it is estimated that more than 20 million man-
days of fishing were provided to at least 5 million persons in 1959^
as a result of this program.

These anglers are estimated to be 25 percent of all persons
fishing in fresh water that year, and to have exerted 5 percent of
the fishing effort. The cost to the Government for the fish stocked
in the ponds was under 5 cents for each man-day of fishing provided.
It must be concluded that providing fish from our national fish
hatcheries to stock farm and ranch ponds is making a substantial
contribution to the recreation of a large segment of our people,
and at a relatively low cost.

iii

FIGURE 1 . - -Largemouth bass caiight from a pond about 2 years after
stocking.

iv

A SURVEY OF FISHING, IN 1959, IN 1,000 PONDS
STOCKED BY THE BUREAU OF SPORT FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE

BY

WILLIS KING, CHIEF
BEIANCH OF FISHERY MANAGEMENT SERVICES
WASHINGTON, D. C.

PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY

The survey was conducted to answer the frequently asked
question: How much recreational fishing are our national fish
hatcheries furnishing by providing warm-water fish to stock
farm and ranch ponds? An early answer to this question, which
previously had been answered by generalities or by information
gathered in surveys of limited scope, was desired.

Since World War II, the Fish and Wildlife Service has pro-
vided warm-water fish (bass, sunfish and catfish) to stock from
30,000 to to, 000 ponds annually. Bureau records for 195T> which
was taken as the key year, show that 43,720,912 bass and siinfish,
1,015,698 channel catfish and b\illheads stocked in ponds, or a
total of 44,737^610 fish, were consigned to the pond program.
This total represents about two-thirds of the largemouth bass,
bluegill, redear sunfish, and all of the catfish produced at
the Bureau's warm-water fish hatcheries that year. The present
survey was designed to provide a better understanding of the
values of the program.

PLAN OF THE SURVEY

The round figure of 1,000 was chosen as the number of ponds
that could be covered in the time available for the survey and
still constitute a reliable sample. This nxmber of ponds repre-
sented 1 in 40, or 2.5 percent of all ponds stocked with warm- water
fish from the Federal hatcheries in fiscal year 1956-57» The sam-
ple appeared adequate for the purpose of obtaining the desired
information, providing the ponds were randomly selected.

In planning the survey, decision was made to include only ponds
from .5 to 10 acres in size. Ponds smaller than .5 acre are not
regularly stocked in all regions, and are reported in the survey

only from the States of Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. This may have
produced some bias in the returns. Moorman (1956) found in a study
of 60 ponds in Iowa, that ponds less than 0.5 acre were usually less
successful than ponds between O.5 and 1.0 acre. Swingle (l9^9)
reported that unfertilized ponds of less than O.5 acre and fertil-
ized ponds of less than 0.25 acre are too small to insiire good
results with the bass-bluegill combination.

Ponds stocked with bass in the spring of 1957 were employed in
the survey because these ponds would experience their first full
year of fishing in 1959* In northernmost latitudes, a few ponds
stocked in 1956 were used so that the fish in all ponds would have
had sufficient time to reach a size permitting angling. Nearly all
the ponds had received bluegill prior to the introduction of the
basB. In the Southeast, redear sunfish are stocked in combination
with bluegill, and channel catfish were stocked in 155 ponds in the
Southwest. Fish were provided on the basis of a completed applica-
tion, which had been reviewed in most instances by the locsil SOS
representative, and approved by State conservation officials, as
well as by the Bureau. The fish were stocked as small fingerlings.
The rate of stocking varied: bass at rates from 50 to 100 per acre
and bluegill (including redear sunfish) at rates from 100 to 1,000
per acre.

Four regional offices of the Bureau, located at Albuquerque,
Atlanta, Boston, and Minneapolis, were each assigned a number of
ponds to report, based on the ninnber of applications for warm-water
fish which were filled by them in 195?. The States of the Pacific
Coast and the more northern States were omitted, because of the
small number of ponds stocked with warm- water species and the diffi-
culties of midwinter travel. In all, 25 States were included in the
survey .

Ponds were chosen on a systematized basis, with the interval
derived from the ratio between the total number of applications
for bass filled in 195T> divided by the number of reports desired.
Within this interval the first pond was selected at random, with
subsequent ponds chosen systematically. This method was followed
with few exceptions.

A list of alternate ponds, chosen in the same manner, was also
prepared in each regional office, so that should it be impossible
to obtain a report on a particular pond, an alternate chosen in the
same manner could be substituted. As field work on the survey was
conducted during the month of January, conditions of weather and
rural roads made this feature necessary. Alternate ponds made up
approximately 10 percent of the sample.

'>® 1

'>

\\

FIGURE 2.--Largemouth bass and bluegill of the size generally-
stocked in ponds.

^ o.

°2 <iH

The project was carried out as a joint undertaking of the
Branches of Fish Hatcheries and Fishery Management Services.
Hatchery managers and their assistants, hatchery production
biologists, fishery management biologists, and other fishery
personnel of the Bureau cooperated in the svirvey by conducting
personal interviews with pond owners and farm managers. General
instructions were provided all those making interviews, and a
single form (Budget Bureau No. U2-5923) was used. The name of
the pond owners, his address, acreage of the pond, and the fish
stocked were entered on the form in advance of the interview;
"all other data were recorded in the presence of the pond owner
or manager.

FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY

Findings will be presented under numbered headings corres-
ponding to the questions on the interview form, copy of which is
included at the end of this report. The 1,000 ponds reported had
an average area of I.7 acres. Data from the survey 'are summarized
in Table 1.

(1) Purposes served by the ponds

These were reported to be, to the nearest percent: livestock,
80 percent; fishing, 70 percent; irrigation water, 13 percent;
swimming, 9 percent; wildlife, 5 percent; other purposes, k percent.
Most pond owners gave at least two reasons for constructing the
pond, and these were given equal weight in tabulating the answers.
Water for livestock and fishing dominate the reasons given for
building the ponds in all regions.

(2) Is the pond providing fishing?

In all, 958 of the ponds provided some fishing in 1959 •
Ninety three percent of the reports specified that fishing was
enjoyed by members of the family; 83 percent pennitted friends
to fish; 19 percent permitted tenants to fish; and 10 percent
permitted others to fish. Of those who reported no fishing
{k2 ponds out of 1,000), 22 gave no reason, 7 claimed loss of
water, 5 that the fish died, 5 did not allow any fishing, and
3 claimed that heavy mud and silt prevented fishing.

(3) Is permission required for the public to fish the pond?

In reply to this question, 82 percent of the owners said they
required permission before allowing the public to fish; 13 percent
did not require permission; and 5 percent did not answer. This
does not indicate the percent of ponds actually open to public
fishing, which was not determined in the survey, except as indicated
in the replies to question No. 2.

(k) Amount of fishing provided

The 958 pond owners who reported some fishing In their ponds
estimated that a total of 27,246 persons participated in this
popular form of recreation. Thus, the typical pond was fished by
28 persons during its first year of productive fishing. Since
the ponds averaged 1.72 acres, this gives an estimate of I6 fish-
ermen per acre of pond. Of the anglers, 52 percent were men; 23
percent were women; and 25 percent were children (15 years and
less) . The percent of women and children is higher for pond
fishing than is generally reported for public waters. This sug-
gests linique values of pond fishing which may be related to close-
ness to home, greater safety, and possible lower cost of pond
fishing.

The estimate of 103,85^4- fisherman- days provided by the 1,000
ponds s-urveyed is subject to limited interpretation since accurate
records were not available. The 958 ponds provided fishing in
1959 at the rate of IO8 fisherman-days per pond, or 6k fisherman-
days per acre of water.

The 1955 National Survey of Fishing and Hunting revealed that
the typical fisherman fished 9«5 days per year. Since the present
study showed that k fisherman- days per angler was typical in farm
ponds, the importance of this type of fishing for those enjoying
it is quite substantial. The over-all importance of fishing in
ponds stocked by the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife is
presented later in this report.

(5) Catch of fish

While only 13 pond owners reported that they kept accurate
records of the fish taken from their ponds, 893 gave estimates
of the catch. The catch from 82l4- ponds reporting largemouth bass
taken, averaged 5^ bass per acre. This is a high return, consid-
ering that the bass were stocked as small fingerllngs and at rates
varying from 50 to 100 per acre. If all ponds reporting fishing
are included, the catch of bass still remains high at 46 per acre.

The catch of bluegill and other sunflsh from 789 ponds aver-
aged 276 fish per acre. Prorated on a basis of the 958 ponds
providing some fishing, the catch was 228 of these fish per acre.
The percent return is lower than for the bass, possibly for several
reasons: some of the bluegill were eaten by the bass as forage;
bluegill and other sunflsh are not as highly prized by the angler
and there is less fishing pressure for them; they may not have
reached a desirable size by the first year of fishing.

Only 210 ponds reported "Other" fish taken. Most of these were
catfish, principally channel catfish and bullheads. Replies on "size
most frequently caught" were not siiitable for tabulation or analysis.

(6) Quality of fishing

The owner's evaluation of the quality of fishing afforded is
one of the most significant features of the survey. Three categories
were proposed: excellent, satisfactory, and poor. On the basis of
the entire sample, 20.2 percent considered fishing to be excellent,
6l.h percent satisfactory, and l4.2 percent poor. The standard was
the owner's opinion and was relative to the quality of fishing
available in the local community. This evaluation is encouraging
and indicates a level of success approaching 82 percent achieved
in the farm pond program.

Some information on the reasons why ik percent of the ponds
were providing poor or unsatisfactory fishing was obtained. "Too
many small bluegills" was the most common complaint. 'Excessive
mud and silt ranked second. The presence of wild fish was men-
tioned frequently, although wild fish were also reported from
many ponds providing satisfactory fishing. An interesting reason
was given by 11 of the unhappy pond owners - "Too little fishing."
This might be credited to the presence of other waters with better
fishing in the neighborhood. (See Table 3 for other reasons given.)

Aquatic weeds were a problem in only three ponds, probably
reflecting the youth of the ponds and the relatively high standards
followed in pond location and construction.

(T) Condition of hatchery fish

Apparently, the fish were received from the hatcheries in good
condition; at least 99 percent of the pond owners thought so. This
reflects the care given to the small fish in distribution by hatch-
ery personnel. Likewise, 97 percent of the pond owners believed
the hatchery fish survived following their release in the pond.
Undoubtedly, observations on this featxire were not always possible
or complete.

(8) Stocking of other fish

Ret\irns showed that 21 percent of the 1,000 pond owners contacted
had added fish to the pond, in addition to the stocking provided by
the Federal Government.. A few of these obtained the normal allotment
of bluegill from another source; some stocked catfish or crappie from
outside so\irces; but most were supplied by the generosity of friends
and the pond owners' efforts. Fishery managers discourage indiscrim-
inate stocking at every opportunity, yet it appears to be a common
practice. The results of overstocking are not well understood
by many pond owners.

TABLE 1.-- Summary of Svirvey Returns

Number
Item Reported Percent

Ponds reported 1,000

1. Purposes of ponds:

Livestock water

Fishing

Irrigation

Swimming

Wildlife

Other

2. Is the pond providing fishing?

Yes (all levels)

For family

For friends

For tenants

For others

None

3. Permission required for public to fish:

Permission not required

Not reported

k. Amoxmt of fishing in 1959:

Total fisherman- day 8

Days per pond*

Days per acre*

Number of persons:

Men

Women

Children

De'signated persons

Not designated

Total fishermen

Fishermen per pond*

Fishermen per acre*

*In ponds reporting fishing.

8

801+

695

134

86

k6

38

80.4

69.5

13.4

8.6

4.6

3.8

958
894
792
179
93

95.8
93.3
82.7
18.7
9.7

U2

4.2

822

82.2

133

13.3

45

4.5

103,854

108

64

100.0

13,688
6,095
6,615

26,398
848

27, 246

51.9
23.1
25.0
96.9
3.1

100.0

28

-

16

_

Item

5. Catch of fish reported in 1959:

Bass

Sunfish

Catfish and others

For all ponds reporting fishing ^4^65, 846

6. Quality of fishing: . . .

Excellent

Satisfactory

Poor

None

7. Hatchery fish received in
good condition:

Believe they survived . .

8. Additional stocking: . . .

Source:

Private

State

Commercial ....
Not reported . . .

Wild fish present. . . •

9. Assistance received from Federal
Government :

Financial

Technical

Survey Returns

(Continued)

Number

Number

Catch

of Fish

of Ponds

per Acre

75A31

824

54

370,79^+

789

276

19,621

210

55

5 1^65, 846

958

286

Nianber

Percent

of Ponds

of Ponds
Reporting

100.0

1,000

202

20.2

6lU

61.4

142

l4.2

42

4.2

990

99.0

969

96.9

211

21.1

177

.

19

• -

11

-

4

_

295

715
853

29.5

71.5
85.3

Catfish, especially channel catfish, appear a desirable addition
xmder some conditions and were reported in 200 of the ponds surveyed.

Wild fish were reported from about 30 percent of the sample. More
information on the species and numbers present would be necessary for
proper evaluation of the importance of wild fish in the ponds surveyed.
In 55 of the lU2 ponds reporting poor fishing, wild fish were also
reported present.

(9) Assistance in pond construction

A total of 715 out of 1,000 pond owners received some financial
assistance from the U. S. Department of Agriculture in building their
ponds. The nature of this assistance and the agency from which it was
received were not adeqiiately described for purposes of analysis. Tech-
nical assistance had been received by 85 percent of the sample, with the
Soil Conservation Service providing this in Bk percent of the instances.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Since the size of each regional sample was proportional to the
number of ponds stocked with bass in that region in 1957^ some com-
parisons of findings can be made among regions.

Altho\igh fishing rated high as a purpose for building ponds in the
Southwest, that region reported only about half the number of man- days
of fishing per acre that the other regions reported. This is probably
related to differences in population density and accessibility of the
ponds .

The percentage of women anglers was lowest in the Northeast and high-
est in the Southeast. On the other hand, children made up U7 percent of
pond anglers in the Northeast, as against 22 percent in the Southeast.

The catch of bass was considerably higher in the southern than in
the northern regions. Region ^4- led in the catch per acre for both bass
and sunfish. The quality of fishing, which was rated satisfactory or
better, varied by region, as follows: Region 2, 89 percent; Region 3^
72 percent; Region k, 79 percent; Region 5? 77 percent.

Holloway (l95l)^ after examining records on 6l2 ponds in the
Southeast, concluded that one pond out of three had a successful
balance of bass-bluegills. However, many of the ponds not in
"balance" were providing some fishing, which was not reported, so
the conclusions of the two studies are not comparable.

Only 51 percent of the pond owners sampled in the Northeast
accepted financial support from the Federal Government in building
the ponds, as compared with 72 percent in the entire sample. Since
the Northeast had the smallest sample, this and other differences
from other regions may be more apparent than real.

10

MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

It was not possible to obtain information on fish populations
in the ponds surveyed, because of the season of the year and the
time available for the survey. Consequently, no attempt has been
made to correlate fisherman-use and success with the stocking rate,
or the kind, number, and condition of fish in the ponds. Accurate
records were kept by a discouragingly small number of pond owners,
but most owners were willing to give estimates of use.

A brief comparison of fisherman-use in the ponds surveyed with
other published accounts is of general interest. The present survey
found 6k man-days of fishing per acre, including all ponds providing
any fishing. Byrd (1959) reported that 12 of Alabama's highly man-
aged State lakes supported l62 fishing trips per acre annually
(range 89-2^4-2) . These "lakes" had a combined area of 84l acres
and had been open to public fishing 2 to 8 years. Bennett (1952)
indicated a scarcity of data on the subject, but proposed an aver-
age fishing pressure of less than 100 man-hours per acre per season
on Illinois ponds-.

Bamikol and Campbell (1952) in reporting on 7 small impound-
ments on the August A. Busch Memorial Wildlife Area in Missouri,
studied in 1951^ list man-hours of fishing varying from 3^6 to
2,196 per acre. Bennett, Barnikol and Campbell do not report the
average number of hours per fishing trip.

The Bulletin of the Sport Fishing Institute for May 1959 refers
to other reports of fishing pressxire. Estimates made at 9 Texas
reservoirs by the U. S. Corps of Engineers showed 65 fisherman days
per acre in 1958. In Oklahoma's Fort Gibson reservoir, 31 fishing
trips per acre were reported the same year.

Interviewers were interested in seeing evidence of good manage-
ment, or its opposite, and frequently included pertinent notes. When
fertilization was mentioned, the adjective noted was usually "inadequate."
Too many pond owners could not resist the temptation to add more fish
to the pond than the Government recommended and provided. This, coup-
led with insufficient fertilization, frequently spelled poor growth
and poor fishing.

It was found that wild fish were present in 30 percent of the
ponds, indicating that, eradication of existing fish is not always
carried out successfully before the new pond is stocked, or the fish
may enter later.

An item of interest is the high catch of bass, 5^ per acre,
during the first year of fishing. Since it will be from 1 to 3 years
before a new crop of bass is produced and is available to the angler.

11

TABLE 2.--S\immary of Survey Returns by Regions

Region

2
Per-

Region

3
Per-

Region

4
Per-

Region

5
Per-

Number

cent

Number

cent

Number

cent

Number

cent

Ponds reported

322

-

Ikk

-

475

-

59

-

Average acreage

1-9

-

0.9

-

1.9

-

0.9

-

P\irposes of ponds:

Livestock water

Irrigation

Fishing

Wildlife

Swimming

Other

306

13

24l

26

18

9

95.0
k.O

7U.8
8.1

5.1
2.8

1??
k

6
22
12

84.7
2.8

65.3
k.l

15.3
8.3

347
101
318

7

26

28

73.0

21.2

66.9

1.5

5.5

5.9

29
16
42

7
20

9

49.1
27.1
71.2
11.9
33.9
15.2

Is the pond providing

; fishing?

Yes (all levels)

For family
For friends
For tenants
For others
None

316

300

265

^5

30

6

98.1
9i^.9
83.9
14.2
9.5
1.9

127

111

107

k

9

17

88-. 2
87A
84.3
3.1
7.1
11.8

k6h
433
385
124
42
11

97.7
93.3
83.0
26.7
9.1
2.3

51
50

35
6

12
8

86.4
98.0
68.6
12.0

23.5
13.6

Permission required for public
to fish: 263
Permission not required hj
Not reported 12

81.7

ik.6

3.7

126
9
9

87.5
6.2
6.2

392

63
20

82.5

13.2
4.2

41

l4

4

69.5

23.7

6.8

Amoimt of fishing in

1959:

Total fisherman- days
Days per pond
Days per acre

22, 667

72

37

_

9,196
72
70

_

67,401
73

-

4,590
90
89

-

Number of persons:
Men
Women
Children

i^,l83
1,7^2
1,763

5i+.4
22.6

22.9

1,312
U81
753

51.5
18.9
29.6

7,282
3,653
3,101

51.9
26.0
22.0

911
219
998

42.8
10.3
46.9

Designated persons 7j 688
Not designated 500
Total fishermen 8,l88

93.9

6,1
100.0

2,5^^6
0

2,5^^6

100.0

0.0

100.0

14,036

323

14,359

97.7

2.2

100.0

2,128
25

2,153

98.8

1.1

100.0

Fishermen per pond
Fishermen per acre

25
13

-

18
19

-

30
15

-

36

42

-

12

J- CTs O
VO 00 OJ
-H O VD

-P Td -H

C C -P

0) O ^H

oo o a, o

00 0) ^ 0)

a. o K

o o t^oo -=i-

^ '

u c

(U o

a ^

i <H

!a o

oo O^QO
on oo

^1 ci
OJ o
^ CM

a o

H

^ •

0)
0) o

J^ (h <

t>0
K

Si c
(D O

& O

Cy 00 OJ
CO oo O
O 00 oo

OJ

oo t~- LfN

oo oo

i) o

a, o

"3

0) o
a '^

i tH

!s o

o vo ooco cvi

O H VO H

ON

On

O t- CVJ H 1 CO

CVJ H CM

ir\CO On t^ iH

<M

ON

VO

On HMD

1 OO

^^

t-- t- ON CO r-\

t^

MD

ON

t-H

OO

-^ CJ

■^

^

H

ro^

u u

0) U

oo es
o

■H

bO
i)
K

CO

^^ a

0) o

fe o

CO 00 oo

C\J H ^
CM OO

(X) ^ ^

t— o CVJ

O W I^

H O rH

DO C

-P T) -H

(U O ^H

t>- O Oh O

^ ^H , ft

O 0) <M (U

CO ^^ " ►^
CVJ

0}

u c

<u o

& o

O t~-l/NV£l CVJ
O H U^ H r-1

-:t J- Q OO t^
J- CM CO CVJ H

CO
CT\

H
CJN

00
OJ

CVJ

^

X! CL, <;

0

o

•H

bO
V
K

u a

i) o

A a,

a o

O CVJ CO
ITN O CVJ

LTN OOVO

SCVI UfN
00 -:t

t^OcTt-^
CU -4-

LPvOO iH O

Onoo trN-3-
.-( CVJ CVJ H

^

■p -d

C C!

4) O

fn .

a. o

•d

OJ o

i <t-i
fe: o

O l/^-:t 00 CVJ
O CVJMD

H

CM OJ t^t^VO
OJ CO O OJ

00
CJN

On H 00 I I i-I
ii> ITN CM

8^

t~ o

l/N t^
CM CM

0)

M

•H

+J

(U

•P

u

XI

>H

o

-p

O

P4

o

ft

0)

(U

^(

'g

u

^

CO

CO

CO

-d

?^

^

J3

C

03

03

o

H-t 03

G

t

ft

O 03

§

+J

H W)

^S

cd

H 5^

CO

u

a} -H

O

j:3

■P

ti to

cd

O -H

o

P:4 «H

(U

•d

<H

>

(U

• ■

§•

■H

>

•H

^

HJ

O Ct

•H

>

C

•H

>,

0) O

^

M

xi -P

•H

0)

^

u

^H -H

t)

a* (3

(U

€

10

O

-P

CO

O

H -P (U

o

5

^^

•P

^ -H

-P

cd ^H <o

(1>

fH <-t

H

o

03 Xi

>-,

03

H O 0)

(h

0) cd

cd

0)

cd

•H CI

0)

0)

O ft ^1

!> -H

o

<H H

tM

Vi o

^

rH

-p

Jm 0) ft

0)

O a

•H

O H

03

o

■p

a

cd

(U

0) ^l

V

a c

fd

0)

•H

fn

0)

>>

>

-p

i -^

a

iH C

J3

>> t)

-P

O

c

U X)

QJ

o

•H

cd

a +^ 03

cd

o

+^ x

(d

o

o

0) o

>•

■H

0)

M

-P

O £7^

-p

^ E

OJ

•H W

CO

PL|

s

xi o

<u

+J

o

CU,

CO

CJ S 'h

03

Eh

H

u bO

•H

•H

^

lH

(U

3

+J

H

-d

■d

03

-d

cd a

(U

-d

o

rH

CO

r<^

af

W -H

m

<

CO

•H

<

fi,

13

the bass harvest may be too heavy in many ponds during the early
years to keep the pond in balance. Since bluegills tend to over-
popiolate a pond to their ovn detriment, as veil as that of the bass,
adequate numbers of bass are reqviired to maintain a satisfactory
balance. An lonbalance of this nature could be an underlying cause
of poor fishing in later years.

The interest in having catfish in the ponds and the contribu-
tion which they are making where they have been stocked, substanti-
ate the Bureau's program for producing and stocking them in
addition to the bass-bluegill combination. Catfish also may have
a place as an additional species in ponds stocked with trout in
some areas or in some types of ponds when used alone.

Apparently, the pond program could be much more successful
than the present survey shows it to be if management information
and guidance were utilized by more pond owners.

TABLE 3 ---Reasons given for poor fishing

Reason Reported

Too many small bluegills
Silt or muddy water
Presence of wild fish
Too much water through pond
Low fertility
Not fished enough
Partial loss of water
Partial loss of fish
Overstocked (originally)
Too many biillheads
Aquatic weeds and algae

Total ponds reported

Number

19
15
Ik
12
12
11
11
11

6

5

3

119

Percent

16.0

12.6

11.8

10.1

10.1

9.2

9.2

9.2

5.0

k.2
2.5

100.0

Ik

FIGURE i<-.--Too many intermediate sized bluegills spell poor fishing
and limited bass reproduction.

15

CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATIONAL FISHING EFFORT

The number of persons who in 1959 fished in ponds which had been
stocked by the Bureau in 1957, is estimated to exceed one million
(ijO X 2'J,2k6 - 1,089,840). Fishery managers believe that most ponds
maintain a level of productivity equal to the first year of fishing
for from 5 to 7 years. Ponds stocked in 1957 are believed typical
of those stocked for the preceding four years.

Swingle (1952) proposed that, "Balanced ponds containing the
bass-bluegill combination have continued to give good fishing for
up to 7 years in experimental ponds, and, so far as records are avail-
able up to lU years in private ponds - where fish kills did not occur,
pond weeds were controlled, and fertility was kept high by the use of
inorganic fertilization."

Five years is proposed as an average productive life, without
renovation and restocking. When ponds stocked for the h years pre-
ceding 1957 are included in the estimate, as many as^ five million
people fo-und recreation in 1959 ty fishing in ponds stocked by the
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. The number of fishermen
(l2 years and older) in the United States, who fished in fresh water,
was estimated by the National Survey of Fishing and Himting to be
18,420,000 in 1955. This number had grown to at least 20,000,000
l^y 1959, based on increases reported in sales of fishing licenses.
(The number of fishing license holders, as reported by the States,
rose from 18,85^,809 in 1955 to 20,006,536 in 1959, or by 6.1 per-
cent.) This indicates that in 1959, one in fo\ir fresh-water fish-
ermen fished in farm and ranch ponds stocked by the Bureau.

Since the 2.5 percent- sample of ponds stocked by the Bureau of
Sport Fisheries and Wildlife in 1957 provided an estimated 103,854
fisherman- days in 1959, the fishing resulting from all ponds stocked
in 1957 is calculated to be at least h million fisherman- days
(40 x 103,854 = 4,154,160). All ponds stocked by the Bureau from
1953 to 1957 could then be credited with more than 20,000,000
fisherman- days during 1959 (calculated figure: 20,770,800).

The National Survey of Fishing and Hunting reports an estimated
338,826,000 man-days of fishing for all fresh waters in 1955. Apply-
ing the same rate of increase as indicated above, there were
359,494,000 fisherman- days expended in fresh-water fishing in 1959*
The percent of fishing in ponds stocked by the Bureau in relation
to the total fishing effort in fresh water in 1959, exceeded
5 percent (20,770,800 * 359,494,000 = .O57) .

The hatchery and distribution costs of the fish stocked in
ponds in 1957 vas about $l6 per acre of water stocked. The cost
per fisherman- day, resulting from the hatchery contribution, was

16

less than 5 cents. The National Survey found that personal
expenditures related to fresh-water fishing averaged about $4
per day in 1955- The pond fisherman may spend less to enjoy
a day's fishing than the person who fishes in other waters,
although this has not been determined at the national level.
If expenditures at the national rate for 1955 are assumed,
80 million dollars were spent by fishermen in 1959 in connec-
tion with fishing in ponds stocked by the Bureau.

REFERENCES CITED

Barnikol, Paul G., and Robert S. Campbell. 1952. Summary of

selected pond studies in Missouri. Jour. Wildl. Mgt., l6(3):
270-271+.

Bennett, George W. 1952. Pond management in Illinois. Jour. Wildl.
Mgt., 16(3): 249-253.

Byrd, I. B. 1959 • Angling success and seasonal distribution of
catch in Alabama's State owned public fishing lakes. Trans,
of the 2i(-th North American Wildl. Conf.: 225-235*

Holloway, A. D. 1951 • An evalxiation of fish pond stocking policy
and success in the Southeastern States. Prog. Fish-Cult.
13(4): 171-180.

Moorman, Robert B. 195T* Some factors related to success of fish
popxilations in Iowa farm ponds. Trans, of the Amer. Fish. Soc,
86 (1956): 361-370.

National Survey of Fishing and Hunting. 1955. U.S. Dept. of the
Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Circular kk.

Sport Fishing Institute, Bulletin No. 90, May 1959*

Swingle, H. S. 1949. Some recent developments in pond management.
Trans. Fourteenth N. Amer. Wildl. Conf.: 295-310.

Swingle, H. S. 1952. Farm pond investigations in Alabama. Jour. Wildl.
Mgt., 16(3): 243-249.

IT

SURVEY FORM

Budget Bureau No. i|2-5923
Approval expires March 31j I96O

SURVEY OF FISHING IN PONDS STOCKED
BY THE BUREAU OF SPORT FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE

Name of Pond or Owner State Siarvey No,

Post Office Address Coiinty Hatchery-

Date of Survey Acreage of Pond Interviewer

Stocking Record: (Complete for all species)

Form 3-1666 No.
From Hatchery Species Number Date

Information from Pond Ovmer

1. What is the principal purpose (or p\irposes) of your pond?
Livestock water / /, Irrigation / /, Fishing / /,
Wildlife / /, Swimming / /, Other / /.

2. Is the pond providing fishing? Yes / /, No / /.

a. For family / /, Tenants / /, Friends / /, Other / /.

3. Is special permission required for the public to fish the pond?

Yes I 7, No I 7.
U. Amount of fishing provided:

a. What Is your estimate of the ntmiber of (separate) persons who fished
the pond in 1959?

(15 yrs. or less)

b. How many of these were: men , women , children /.

c. What is yovir estimate of the total number of daily fishing trips or
fishermen days that the pond provided: .

18

5. Can you give total catch figures for 1959?

Size most frequently
Species Number caught

a. Are these figures based on records / /, or on estimates / /•

6. Do you consider that the fishing, as compared with other fishing in the
area is: Excellent / /, Satisfactory / /, Poor / /.

a. If the pond is not providing satisfactory fishing, what do you
believe to be the reason? .

7. Were the fish you received from the Federal Hatchery in good condition
when you stocked the pond? Yes / / No / /

a. Do you believe the fish survived? Yes / / No / /

8. In addition to fish received from the Federal Hatchery, were fish stocked
from any other source? Yes / / No / /

a. If so, give source and kind: .

b. Are fish of species other than those planted present in the pond?

Yes r^ No I /

9. Did you receive financial assistance from the United States Government
in building your pond? Yes / / No j /

a. If you did, from what agency?

b. Did you receive technical assistance in building your pond?

Yes / / No rZJ

c . If you did, from what agency?
10. Additional comments by interviewer:

19

FIGURE 5.--A typical farm pond.

20

I:IT.DUP.,D.C.60- 7<«21»

MBL WHOI Library - Serials

lii>iii||iiiiiiiii|ilill|:i:i||lil mil HI 111:!

5 WHSE 00199

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This survey was made possible by the cooperation of personnel
in the Branches of Fish Hatcheries and Fishery Management Services,
with assistance from other biologists of the Bureau. In all, more
than 100 people participated, in addition to the 1,000 pond owners
who gave the information upon which conclusions are based. Repre-
sentatives of the Soil Conservation Service assisted in locating
the ponds and in contacting some of the pond owners. The returns
were tabulated by the Washington office of the Branch of Fish
Hatcheries. Without full cooperation, the job could not have
been done. Any credit for the survey is due to all those who
participated in it.