Now that spring is just around the corner, we have been getting many calls for pond stocking fish…and…reality check…spring is not here yet in Ohio!

Here are some things to do for your pond in the meantime. Walk around your pond and look for any fish mortalities that may appear and dispose of them in your compost pile. Sad to say, I suspect many pond owners will have unpleasant surprises resulting from the abundant snow cover and cold weather of this year. Anytime that deep snow blankets a pond for more than a week, you can bet there will be “winter-kill” cases where the pond has been smothered by light-blocking snow cover, and dissolved oxygen in the water has dropped too low to support fish.

When you check out your pond, you may also notice that algae and aquatic plants are greening and gearing up for the year. This is why we often stock the sterile white amur (grass carp) in February, since they can do a better job of vegetation control if given a headstart. Once the amount of daylight becomes longer in February, plants start to grow again, regardless of the air temperature outside.