Effects of Chemical Control of Submerged Vegetation on the Fish Community of aSmall Minnesota Centrarchid Lake

摘要

A whole-lake application of endothall herbicide was evaluated as a fisheriesmanagement tool to enhance bluegill growth and size structure. A single treatment in 1992 eliminated submergent vegetation in 10 ha Little Horseshoe Lake, but bluegill size structure and growth were not altered during the following two years. Summer water temperature apparently had a greater effect on bluegill and largemouth bass growth than the abundance of submerged vegetation. Improving bluegill populations by increasing predation through submerged vegetation reduction shows little promise as a fish management tool.