While Ohio houses many types of fish in its variety of lakes, streams, and rivers, there are many fish that are housed in ponds that could potentially suffer from improper pond construction. Some of Ohio’s most popular sporting fish could be subjected to fish kills such as asphyxiation, disease, or poisoning. Fish suffocation due to lack of oxygen is one of the more easily avoidable but potentially devastating to pond fish populations. Some Ohio fish that would be affected would be the Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Channel Catfish.
Since many ponds get their available dissolved oxygen from plants that perform photosynthesis and the air vegetation is key to maintaining a healthy pond ecosystem. Ironically, these plants can be the very cause of a winterkill. If the pond does not have a proper depth ratio the plants could die during the winter and start decomposing. The bacteria that is responsible for the decomposition use the oxygen available in the water. The longer and more severe the winter is the more likely that this will happen. This is more likely to occur in the northern most counties of Ohio because of the more frequent snowfall and severe winters because of the lake effect from Lake Erie.
Unfortunately, there is almost no way to tell if a winterkill has happened until possibly months after it has occurred. With a good log of water quality management, the cause can usually be determined. Some people are not able to control the construction of their pond but proper pond construction could potentially prevent a winterkill. A 3:1 gradient ratio and a proper depth of 10-12 feet that covers 25% of the pond floor can keep plants from taking root too far into the pond. Also good watershed management practices can stop extra nutrients from entering the pond, halting the growth of harmful algae’s.
Works Cited
Pond Management. ODNR Division of Wildlife (2012). Retrieved from http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/species-and-habitats/pond-management