Fraggle or other pond/small lake experts

[Jerk]

What effect on the fish population does killing turtles have?

What if you kill a few of them?

What if you kill half of em?

What if you kill em all?

I have heard two theories: It's good for the fish population because the turtles eat the fishy eggs. It's bad because the rotting carcass pollutes the water, and the turtles also eat the sick fish which is benificial for the rest of the fishies.

It was nothing for me and a few friends to shoot over 500 rounds into a small pond last summer. The turtle population in that little body of water was unbelievable.

[rufnek05]

we do the same thing in the summers. and the fish just keep getting bigger.

[Fraggle145]

How big are the ponds you are at? how deep?

It probably has little effect. The turtles likely take out the sick fish if there are sick fish or if there are fish kills etc... but it sounds like they are super abundant.

What types of fish are in the system? If you know how many and what they are I can make better predictions... are they all bluegill/sunfish and bass, or are there minnows, mosquitofish etc...

The nutrients released from the dead turtles back into the systems are probably negligible compared to amount of nutrients in the system already since it is probably a shallow eutrophic system. the living turtles probably provide more nutrients via remineralization and excretion, but these arent limiting so it probably isnt an issue.

So it probably has little effect one way or the other. The climate dynamics and their effects on the algal and zooplankton assemblages are probably more important than the turtles. As turtles are omnivorous and eat most anything they can get their hands on including the plants by the edge, grass, terrestrial insects, fish, aquatic insects, snails, crayfish etc... They probably have a generalized effect within the food web. Killing all of them would likely have some effect, but I am not sure what it might be without a better knowledge of your system, but it is unlikely you could get every one of them anyway as many turtles have large home ranges for their body size.

That said I think turtles are cool, so maybe dont kill as many for me. let one live and count it spray paint its back and you can watch it over time. or catch it and make turtle soup. Have you ever eaten river cooter? it is really good...

[rufnek05]

from what my bio teacher tells us, it is extreamly worse for an pond to be over populated with turtle than be under populated.

[Fraggle145]

from what my bio teacher tells us, it is extreamly worse for an pond to be over populated with turtle than be under populated.

It is all relative to the system. not saying he doesnt know anything, just saying I work with lakes all the time. So it could be vital in some systems or a detriment in others. you also have to define what you mean by detrimental... If you want the water to be clear, humans ****ed that up a long time ago, and lakes arent natural in this part of the world anyway besides oxbows from river bends.

[Ardmore_Sooner]

You forgot a variable.... EAT EM!

http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/1996/06/50.html

[proud gonzo]

dude, Fraggles don't live in ponds, they live in caves. Duh. :rolleyes:

[Ardmore_Sooner]

http://www.fanboy.com/images/fragglerock.gif

[proud gonzo]

Dance your cares away

[Fraggle145]

You forgot a variable.... EAT EM!

http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/1996/06/50.html

No I didnt. that **** is good. Turtle stew!


Have you ever eaten river cooter? it is really good...

[Fraggle145]

Dance your cares away

Worry's for another day.
Let the music play,
Down at Fraggle Rock.

http://www.fragglerocker.com/media/pics/doozers/doozers.jpg

Work you cares away,
Dancing's for another day.
Let the Fraggles play,

http://www.fanboy.com/images/fragglerock.gif

We're Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, Red.

Dance your cares away,
Worry's for another day.
Let the music play,
Down at Fraggle Rock.
Down at Fraggle Rock.

http://www.tibbysbowl.com/graphics/01-27-2006/04.jpg

[yermom]

oh god.

how old were you guys when that was on? i mean i was kinda young...

i guess they are coming out on DVD later this year

[Fraggle145]

I was what like 3 years behind you?

[yermom]

4, i guess you graduated with my cousin Kyle

so you were like 4 when it came on, i guess that makes sense

[proud gonzo]

oh god.

how old were you guys when that was on? i mean i was kinda young...

i guess they are coming out on DVD later this yearI don't know, but i grew up watching the Fraggles! I already have some of them on DVD :D


edit: oh, and I wore a Fraggles shirt yesterday.

[Fraggle145]

4, i guess you graduated with my cousin Kyle

so you were like 4 when it came on, i guess that makes sense

Hell ya. Doozers kicked ***!

Edit: but Doc and Sprocket cannot be forgotten

http://www.stellapower.net/fraggles/images/Sprocket/doc_sproc.gif

[Jerk]

Thanks Frag. The pond isn't really large. But there are so many turtles in there, dude. I mean, it is literally full of em.

[Fraggle145]

Thanks Frag. The pond isn't really large. But there are so many turtles in there, dude. I mean, it is literally full of em.

Then I would say you can probably plug away and it should hurt that much. If you see other weird things start to occur, like an algal bloom, or something like that then I would stop. Just remember turtles have feelings too! ;) :D

[Hamhock]

Have you ever eaten river cooter? it is really good...


over twelve hours and this softball goes untouched???

what the heck?

[C&CDean]

Turtles **** up a pond now. First of all, I'm no lake scientist like I guess Fraggle is, but I've got several ponds. I pop turtles every chance I get. There's always tons more. I could camp on the pond and shoot them all day/night and still not get them all.

I have bass, bluegill, sunfish, crappie, and catfish in my ponds. When I shoot the turtles with something a little stouter than a .22, they kind of explode. The fish dig it. I've seen them eating the hell out of a blowed up terrapin.

Land turtles are cool. Pond turtles are scum.

[Hamhock]

my neighbor bought a turtle trap. he catches bunches.

[Fraggle145]

over twelve hours and this softball goes untouched???

what the heck?

Heh. I threw it out there... no bites :mad:

[yermom]

Heh. I threw it out there... no bites :mad:

yeah, sorry it got lost in all the Fraggle Rock stuff, i saw it but got distracted :D