Aquaculture
Flown by Dave Osborne, Agriculture & Natural Resources Educator, Purdue Extension – Ripley County
In 2018, a few ponds were stocked with 30 pounds of tilapia and flown monthly from July through October to record how fish visibly influenced algae cover. This was repeated in 2019. The pond was stocked June 1 with 100 fish per acre at a size of 20 fish per pound. Fish grew 1.5 pounds and spawned twice.
You can see reduced algae cover from spring to late summer shows as the pond appears clearer.
It was also possible to see nesting areas as the fish ate the algae. Tilapia nests are the light-colored circles at the bottom of the pond.