Aquatic Weed Control

Controlling aquatic weed has become a major problem among fishery owners for a number of years. Unfortunately, this issue is only going to get worse and most fisheries at some point or another are likely to suffer.

The main cause of excessive weed growth in lakes is from activities such as farming, the improper use of fertiliser, waste water from urban areas and road run off. This type of widespread diffuse pollution plays a huge part in how much weed we now see in our fisheries.

This leads to a process called eutrophication which is the leading cause of excessive weed growth in freshwaters. The high concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen act as a fertiliser and this leads to explosive productivity in primary producers such as aquatic weed and algae. This may lead to serious imbalances in the chemical, physical and biological functioning of the lake.

High densities of aquatic weed and algal blooms have extremely high respiration rates. This causes the available dissolved oxygen content to decrease to sometimes lethal concentrations, especially in the summer in periods of low pressure and high water temperature. For this reason it is paramount that a balance is maintained and that it is not allowed to get out of control.

Excessive amounts of weed in your lake can lead to angler numbers dropping off as they find it increasingly difficult to present baits efficiently. Landing fish may also become an issue and there is the very real danger of lost fish remaining tethered up in dense weed and not surviving.

There are also the issues of large amounts of weed dying off in winter contributing to water quality problems and increasing silt levels.

Having a good understanding of the surrounding land and where the main contributors give you a good head start in preparing a plan of action. That’s where 5 Star Fisheries can help, we work with you finding all the information required to try and re establish a balance. We can pinpoint key areas where you may be able to approach neighbouring landowners enabling you to work with them in reducing the issue of eutrophication long term, this would be a fantastic start in slowing down the input that is contributing to the large bio mass of weed in your water.

We can offer expertise in species identification and the best way of dealing with that particular species, with the aim of hindering growth and tipping the balance in your favour.

We can offer a cutting service where we can open up large areas around swims to make fishing easier and less stressful for customers, all the cut weed is then removed from the lake to stop it sinking and causing any further issues. The long term success of this service depends very much on the time of year, water depth, water clarity and the plant species we are dealing with.

Another service we offer to help control or hinder the growth of aquatic weed is the use of dye. The dyes cause no harm to any fish or other aquatic inhabitants. It works by disrupting photosynthesis and therefore slowing the growth rates of aquatic plants. It also helps with algal blooms in the same way by reducing light through the water column and slowing production. These dyes work better if applied in the springtime before major growth starts and can be continually topped up throughout the year, depending on the flow through of water and weather conditions.

Settlement ponds would also be beneficial on any inlets flowing into a lake that has issues with eutrophication , these are deeper pools heavily planted with reeds. These settlement ponds slow the water flow and act as a giant filter. They help remove nutrient rich suspended solids which will reduce turbidity, increase oxygen and lower the amount of phosphates entering the lake, these would be a fantastic addition to any water in helping the amount of weed in the lake long term.

If you are suffering the effects of excessive weed in your lake and you would like to discuss the options that best suit you, please don’t hesitate in giving us a call.