Pond Kiss

Dear Frog,

You cannot create a fishery growing massive numbers of top predators and losing them on ecology. Hatcheries use a huge amount of fish food that further degrades the ecology increasing nutrients in rivers. Clearing for agriculture has completely degraded many streams and rivers. To create a viable fishery, you must grow your way to health. To accomplish this, you can keep it simple. Use water plants, shrubs and trees. I have selected three powerful plants that could transform all troubled water ecosystems. If used, artificial destructive methods for fishery propagation will not be needed.

The water plant: use the star of the western hemisphere, the slough sedge (Carex obnupa). All rain falling from the North Pacific on the western side of the Rocky Mountains from Alaska to Arizona passes through this plant. I am not a plant snob because plant diversity has been completely demolished using logging and agriculture. I propose the world use this plant to restore damaged water. Compared to the other water sedges, it has the best growth characteristics in sun or shade; it is by far the greenest (highest metabolic rate); survives drought; and as critically: nurseryman regard it as the most beautiful sedge. Slough sedge is an amazing water conditioning engine.

The shrub: use the most powerful terraforming plant on the planet: the willow. There are willows that grow directly in water or on land. They are the fastest growing shrub available and provide habitat. Willow can be invasive so care must be taken; however, if used correctly willows are extremely powerful in restoring fisheries habitat.

I love most trees and over the world many are available for various habitats; however, the fastest growing tree is the hybrid cottonwood. Poplars can exceed 300 feet (dangerous around buildings as their tops blow out). This tree is known for its rapid growth where 10 year old forests yield toilet paper. Trees store a lot of energy for the ecosystem.

Plants remove approximately one BTU of energy from the pond per square meter of leaf area and stores this energy. Stacking these plant layers on the edge of the pond/stream/river removes most of the nutrients and cools the water. Sedge grows in the fall and spring before other plants ergo no weeds having exhausted the nutrients in the water. This energy is a vast food source for the ecology (including fish and ourselves).

Fish dinner is served froggie! To create a fishery you plant just three species for groceries, you form the base for diverse flora and fauna species that will come; it is all about growing. This simple approach doesn’t fit the extensively engineered fishery we have that is failing. KISS: It is simple. XXXOOO
Loving kisses,
PonDoc                                      from the pond

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