Have you ever wondered how fish get into lakes and ponds, especially if those ponds or lakes seem far from other bodies of water? It is an interesting question to think about how everything in nature is connected.
Small streams, such as natural roads for fish, link some lakes. This occurs when the conditions in both lakes are identical. The lakes connected to the oceans often contain many different types of fish, including ones that can survive in salt water.
But what about the lakes that seem entirely cut off? Freshwater fish can still find their way to these separate lakes, thanks to the various things that help them spread. This article talks about how fish enter and learn to live there. Let’s find out!
How do fish get into lakes and ponds?
Naturally – roaming from one Place to another
The fish move naturally to find new houses. This happens due to changes in where they find food, shifting due to weather changes, and competing with other fish for space. When these things push them out of their old lakes, they can end with new ones through streams connected to the old lake.
Well, it is not easy for fish to start a new house in a new lake. It needs a lot of good luck. First, enough male and female fish will need to find a new lake at the same time. Then, they need to put eggs that can hatch into baby fish. Even then, there is no guarantee that these young fish will grow and have more babies. A completely new fish population can live in a new lake for a hundred years.
Seasonal Migration:
Some fish, such as Coho Salmon, have a special habit of moving between the sea and the freshwater lake at different times of the year. There are two main types: “anadromous” fish that mostly live in the sea but come to the water as if to put eggs, while the “catadromous” fish live in lakes but go to the sea to reproduce.
When these fish make their regular trips, sometimes they end up with lakes that are not connected to the sea. If they survive there, they can adapt to the lake’s life over time. However, some fish have a simple path: they enter the lakes during part of the year and then return to the sea later.
Floods – Nature’s fish movers
The big floods can bring fish, their babies (called fry), and their eggs to new lakes or ponds. Sometimes, floods make different lakes meet together, giving fish more places to move.
Floods also mix different groups of the same type of fish. This mixture can produce fish with different genes. But floods can also wash some fish groups that have previously lived somewhere, pushing them downstream into new houses. This way, fish from different places can end up in the same lake, and families can begin together.
Fish eggs hitching a ride:
No doubt, fish are aquatic organisms, but it doesn’t mean that they always have to swim to find new houses. Sometimes, they take a ride from animals that walk or fly. These can be furry mammals, wet reptiles, or large birds.
These animals can transport small fish eggs even without knowing. The eggs adhere to their wet fur or feathers and remain alive until they find water again. When the animals stop drinking water in a pond or the lake, the fish egg might stick to their feet and take them to another place.
This is how the new lakes and ponds end up with new fish in them. Interestingly, some fish eggs are very strong and powerful, and birds can eat them and then poop out alive. So, that’s how they can travel so far and end up in new lakes and ponds.
Bringing in Fish – How Humans Impact Water Life
People played an essential role in bringing new fish types to natural and man-made water bodies. Some challenging fish species from other places can quickly adapt and spread, ending with wetlands due to the things that people do. It happens either on purpose or by accident.
For example, fishing boats and equipment can accidentally catch fish eggs and move them to different places. Fish can also escape the aquariums or fish farms, especially if they are close to rivers or lakes. When this happens, these fish can cause problems in the areas where they should not. They can occupy and make it difficult for native fish to survive.
Sometimes, people put fish into the lakes on purpose. They can do this to help the fish population grow or make fishermen and commercial fishermen happy. But it can only happen with the permission of the special government, and often, it is to help fish that are essential for the economy or at risk of disappearing.
Summary:
In short, the fish get into lakes and ponds in many different ways. Sometimes, they are naturally wandering; other times, they travel with animals. Floods can also take them to new areas. People also play a role, either by accident or purpose, by moving the fish around. Understanding how fish move helps us take care of them and the places where they live.