Food Habits of the White Amur Stocked in Ponds Alone and in Combination with other Species

Abstract

that biological methods be used for controlling undesirable aquatic plants in both artificial impoundments and natural waters, since many of our existing chemical nntrol methods are potentially hazardous to the ecological balance of a pond, lake, or river, as well as to man himself. A number of organisms exist which will effectively control or eliminate certain aquatic plants. Several fish species have shown promise fs weed control agents, one of these being the white amur (Ctenopharjngodonidellua Va, lenciennes) also known as grass carp (Avault, Smitherman, and Shell, 1968). This fish has been in the United States for a decade, but is an exotic species indigenous to large rivers in China. One of the major reasons that white amur are not being widely used in this country is the fear that they may become established in our natural waters, as did the common carp, and compete with native fish for food organisms. Hora and Pillky (1962) reported that white amur do not spawn in ponds--they spawn in large rivers. If this is so, and it seems to be, it is possible that they can be used in ponds which are not connected to natural waters. Hora and Pillay (1962) classified white amur as an omnivore, and stated that it has a