If you're the proud owner of a body of water, you probably also know that your pond or lake requires a measure of a maintenance. This is doubly true if the habitat is stocked. You should hire a lake management team to come out from time to time and analyze your fish population; one of the most popular techniques for this is electrofishing. This will not only give you a good glimpse as to the health of finned little friends, but provide an accurate snapshot of the kind of habitat they're living in.

 

This kind of process is not nearly as bad as it sounds. You're probably imagining some barbaric process in which you are probably electrocuting the wildlife and risking killing them. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, this is a gentle process, as far as analyzing goes, and there are no permanent side effects.

 

How It Works

 

The person that is surveying your pond will insert a long, electrically charged wand into the water. This sends a current down into the H20 and attracts the surrounding swimmers. Once the fish come into that current, they are temporarily paralyzed. This enables the person administering the procedure to gently pull the creature above the surface and handle it without it thrashing around. This is good because the excessive movement would increase the chances of injury, make it more difficult to take measurements, and make the whole process more difficult over all. Once measurements have been taken, the wildlife is returned to its home and will regain movement shortly. It's harmless.

 

The person doing the electrofishing will be looking at a lot of different details. They will measure the body, the weight, and overall health. This information will serve you as you continue to make decisions for your lake. For instance, if you were stocking bass, you will be able to determine if the bodies are as big as you'd expected. If several measurements show that the fish are smaller than you want them to be, this could be an indicator that they are not getting enough food. If you are using an automatic fish feeder, then you would want to adjust the volume and frequency of the feedings.

 

On the other hand, if you find that the water life is not thriving as well as you'd hoped, this could be due to lack of proper aeration or a bad pH balance. In this case, you would want to consider either purchasing the necessary equipment to infuse air into your pool, or, if you already have a device, you may need to make adjustments on its output. There are several factors that could affect the amount of air density in your water, and it's not just all about the hardware.

 

For instance, if it's been raining a lot lately, then this could be the result of excessive runoff carrying local fertilizers and toxins onto your property. This would induce the faster spread of algae, which devours the underwater oxygen, leaving very little for the rest of the wildlife. This can cause a higher rate of death below the surface, and the added decay also depletes the much needed air.

 

As you can see, electrofishing is not just about making sure that your prized fish will be the talk of the town. It's also a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of your pond or lake and ensure that all is well. As you put out your feelers for a good lake management company, you'll be able to find a qualified professional that you trust to handle your wildlife.