Pond Fish Netting and Stocking
Pond Study Volunteers
Earlier this year, members of the La Crosse Office of the Fish and Wildlife Service visited the Tomah VA Medical Center fishing pond to set five fyke nets. These are a type of net that has a guide net that directs fish into a funnel-like system of hoop nets that the fish can swim into but cannot easily exit. There is sufficient space in these nets that the fish generally survive being captured for study.
Tomah High School students and teachers were also in attendance; and in addition to helping to clean algae from the pond, they were able to learn about these nets and what the VA hoped to achieve. By setting these nets, the VA hopes to learn more about the fish size and species composition. This will help to better manage this resource for the benefit of inpatient Veterans fishing there. Last year’s investigations included electroshocking, which yielded some interesting finds of walleye, largemouth and smallmouth bass, black crappie, and bluegill.
When Fish and Wildlife staff returned to retrieve the nets they were assisted by eight students and three teachers from the Tomah Middle School Science Club. Students weighed, measured, and determined species for a total of 70 fish. Twelve black crappies, 58 bluegills, and two painted turtles were tallied, with the largest fish being a crappie at 329 grams (11.6 ounces).
Following the fish sampling, the students were treated to a nature walk. They learned about plants and animals in and around the pond; and sighted a family of geese and a muskrat. This was followed by stocking of the pond by the Genoa Fish Hatchery in preparation for the 26th Annual Tomah VA Fisheree.
