Hi all, has anybody got any good information or knows where to obtain information in how to control Canadian Pond weed, as my local water is thick with the stuff and our committee is in disagreement in how to control this type of weed.

cheers
Tam

Triploid Grass carp

And they fight well if you do hook one on the rare occasion

http://aqua.ucdavis.edu/DatabaseRoot/pdf/IID6-98.PDF

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Allan
Only dead fish go with the flow.

You may find this informative.

Control Methods For Aquatic Plants in Ponds and Lakes - Virginia Cooperative Extension

Canadian Pond Weed will propagate from every piece of cut plant left in the lake. Covering areas of the lake with black polythene waited down over the weed to keep the light out sometimes works but isn't very aesthetic looking Cutting it twice a year and getting as much of it out as you can, a strong wind onto an open shore helps, allows lower growing plants, mosses and algae to colonise and helps smother the pond weed. This can take quite a few years and isn't foolproof, stop doing it and it will flare up again.

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Don't worry, be happy.
Sandy
Carried it in full, then carry it out empty.

If memory serves me right the Orcadians had this trouble on Loch Harry in the mid 80's and the problem was exasperated by about 200 + Swans uprooting the stuff only for it to settle elsewhere on the Loch. On one visit I noticed a large crane working on the Loch near the 'Ring of Stones' and it's connection through to 'Stennes Loch', which is connected to the sea and rises with an incoming tide, brackish water. The salinity in the water that was allowed into Loch Harray sorted the problem in quick time!, what about some 'Road Salt' ?

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Gwilym Hughes
www.GwilymHughes.com

The grass carp that are available in the UK are the normally sexed variety as they won't breed in our waters - it's too cold.

They are an Import of Live Fish Act species as they are considered to be alien. They are not a high risk species, but you will need permission from Cefas in Weymouth plus consent from the EA to introduce them and if the lake has an outlet direct to a watercourse that cannot be screened securely this is not likely to be granted.

CPW is not that high on their list of preferred things to eat, but in the absence of anything else they will eat it. Grass carp are expensive to buy, and you need a surprising number to have any benefit. However, if you do go down this route they can be considered to be an increasing asset, in that as they grow their value increases. So, you might start off with 500 @ 10", and after allowing for mortalities etc you end up with 400 @ 4lbs each after three years. You can then reduce the number leaving enough to maintain control of the weed and sell the rest at a profit.

This is a simplistic approach, and there are other factors to consider. By removing the higher plants that are taking up the available nutrients from the water, you are leaving the way open for other less desirable effects. The nutrient in the water has to go somewhere, and bear in mind it is being added to by 500 grass carp eating all the weed and cra*ping in the water so the result is likely to be algal blooms.

If there are pike in the water, then I would avoid the use of grass carp. For some reason pike seem to find grassies particularly attractive. Maybe they taste nice!

I would avoid grass carp, if you put those in, forget about any plants in water, you loose spawning areas, food production, there is high risk of algae blooms etc. Many waters here suffer from introduction of grass carp, but carp anglers love them. They have plenty of room for their casts and grass carp are good fighters. But pikes etc. will pay a price and tench as well.

An introduction of alien species never really quite works out.

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It is in truth not glory,nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting,but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with his life.(Declaration of Arbroath, 1320)

Not absolutely true Maharg. Back in the day I was involved in one of the early trials using grass carp on a spring fed trout lake in Hertfordshire. The growth rates were monitored annually, and the impact they were having on the weed growth was watched carefully. As they grew, some were removed and sold, thus recouping the original outlay. A few years later some more were removed and sold leaving enough in there to keep on top of the weed growth without totally annihilating it and without causing major problems. There were no serious algal blooms, just a slight cloudiness in the water on occasions during the late spring and summer. The lake also produced very good numbers or perch, roach and some quality tench, which were cropped annually and provided enough funds to pay for the trout. THAT is what I call sensible, integrated and sustainable fisheries management.

Investigate the use of diquat gel.

use to use Midstream when it was available and did a great job without effecting the aquatic life or anything else and could be used anytime of the year but was taken of the shelves about 5 yrs ago under investigation, so the next best thing was 'Caseron G' in pellett form, placed in before the weed starts to grow in about early March, it deoxygenates he water and dependant on the size of water can cost a pretty penny but can last up to 3yrs before it needs doing again, of course, any of the above all need a liscenced user and a pass from the EA before it is applied.
if the committee of your club is as useless as the one i was in then there is no hopegood luck

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When i was a course fisherman i had bag weights to remembernow i'm a fly fisherman i can have bag weights to take home