Ball State University's Duck Pond has a few hundred new residents that will help determine the quality of the campus' natural water.
A fishery resource management class placed 220 channel catfish in the pond on the north side of campus Tuesday as part of a summer-long project to determine whether the natural water on campus is hospitable to wildlife.
Professor of biology Thomas Lauer said the class received the fish from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. A former student of Lauer's contacted him and offered him the department's surplus, he said.
Lauer said he wouldn't put any fish in the pond if he didn't think they would survive. Catfish are tolerant to harsh conditions, he said.
"If I had to say what fish would do well I'd have to say what we dumped in there today would be one of my choices," he said.
The class project was to measure and mark about 50 fish before putting them in the pond, he said.
"It's an opportunity that's pretty rare for students," senior biology major Jennifer Pritchett said. "It's actual application of real-life techniques."
She said the class marked the fish by giving them colored latex injections and clipping their adipose fins. Adipose fins are absent in most fish families and can be compared to an appendix in humans. Clipping the fins does not hinder their ability to swim, she said.
Lauer said another class will return to the pond during Fall Semester to follow up on the project.
Pritchett said students would recapture the fish using electrofishing, which makes the fish rise to the surface. The students will record the growth of the fish during the summer, and that will be an indication of the water quality. If the fish don't grow much, there is not enough food and resources for it to be a healthy habitat, she said.
Lauer said the water's quality has improved from what it once was.
Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president for facilities planning and management, said the Duck Pond became healthier after it was renovated two years ago.
Before, it was shallow and full of sediment and the banks were eroding, Kenyon said. During the renovation, contractors planted shrubs and grasses around the banks to slow erosion, and they took out a lot of the sediment. Now, the pond and Cardinal Creek, which streams into and out of it, have more wildlife, he said.
The university is still trying to improve the water quality and natural environment around campus, he said.
Ball State has several methods to aerate and clarify all of the natural water on campus, he said. Keeping a heavy flow through the creek does a lot to keep the water clean. Most rain water north of Riverside Avenue drains into the natural water, he said.
The university has scheduled the installation of a pond near Park Hall during the summer, Kenyon said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
