The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources plans to stock the Mill Pond with largemouth bass, bluegill (sunfish), and black crappies.
“They populate very quickly,” Bendzick said.
At no cost to the city, the DNR nets the fish in the morning and stocks them in the afternoon.
Stocking the pond is part of a three-year lake management plan passed 6-0 by the Jordan City Council earlier this month. Barry Ullmann was absent from the meeting.
Small ponds tend to become overpopulated with stunted bluegill and less desirable to anglers, according to the DNR. But in Jordan, the state will stock only male bluegill, limiting reproduction in an effort to determine if stocking only males is a suitable method for the Mill Pond and other small ponds that lack fish or have annual winterkill, the DNR said.
A population assessment should be conducted next year to monitor the pond’s fish, specifically the bluegill size structure and abundance, according to the DNR.
To assess winter water quality, the DNR will monitor oxygen levels during the winter.
The lake management plan also includes the DNR's suggestions for other amenities near the pond, including a fishing pier, according to the minutes of the April 7 city council meeting, which the city council passed tonight. The DNR will pay $4,000 and the city $2,000 for the pier, according to the minutes.