Without a doubt that fish was stocked illegally and if allowed to live will disturb the balance of that lake.
The standard operating procedure for eliminating illegally stocked fish is to poison the whole lake and restock it with new hatchery raised fish.
Whoever put that peacock bass in there put the kiss of death on any "native" fish inhabiting that lake.
Mass wildlife may not have the funds right now to cull the lake but they may have to use the funding for stocking rainbows to cover the cost of culling lake webster.
This is a damn shame and an epic fail.
They say it is too cold for this fish to establish itself this far north....They said the same thing about alligators too.
The standard operating procedure for eliminating illegally stocked fish is to poison the whole lake and restock it with new hatchery raised fish.
Whoever put that peacock bass in there put the kiss of death on any "native" fish inhabiting that lake.
Mass wildlife may not have the funds right now to cull the lake but they may have to use the funding for stocking rainbows to cover the cost of culling lake webster.
This is a damn shame and an epic fail.
They say it is too cold for this fish to establish itself this far north....They said the same thing about alligators too.
I'm somewhat stunned ---this thing spawns the equator....unless someone put a good number of these things in the lake it'd have near 0 chance of survival either way--1.we know damn well it wont get through winter and in the end 2...who's it mating in the spring?!
--------and as far as adaptation/evolution is concerned alligators are TOP TIER food predators and have been known to eat humans and other large game out on terra firma...I'm guessin this bass was dropped in outta someone's home spawn-tank....not too bright...but a hell of a "fish-story" for the guy who caught it. . .
--------and as far as adaptation/evolution is concerned alligators are TOP TIER food predators and have been known to eat humans and other large game out on terra firma...I'm guessin this bass was dropped in outta someone's home spawn-tank....not too bright...but a hell of a "fish-story" for the guy who caught it. . .
Peacocks are extremely sensitive to cold water. Pretty much why you can't find them breeding anywhere north of Miami. This one is obviously a pet. I have caught cichilds before in the Charles River before, that obviously were people pets. Don't think one peacock is that much a problem. Their biology will not let it survive too much longer. They are not like snakeheads.
Actually wish I caught the fish. Going to the Amazon in two weeks to target Peacocks. They are by far the best freshwater game fish. Fishing for them is like throwing a grenade on your lure every time they strike.
Actually wish I caught the fish. Going to the Amazon in two weeks to target Peacocks. They are by far the best freshwater game fish. Fishing for them is like throwing a grenade on your lure every time they strike.
Thorn said: "they say it is too cold for this fish to establish itself this far north....They said the same thing about alligators too."
i know this is totally besides the point and im not trying to be a smartass but have alligators "established" themselves this far north?? im not talking about a stray gator tossed here or there (like one found in the merrimac many yrs ago) but an actual population somewhere or even a few individuals that have been believed to have made it through a new england winter?? again, not meaning to come off like a wiseguy i just wasnt sure if i misunderstood your quote or if i missed this about alligators up here. just asking for curiousity's sake....and safety's sake i guess next time out there. take care. eric
i know this is totally besides the point and im not trying to be a smartass but have alligators "established" themselves this far north?? im not talking about a stray gator tossed here or there (like one found in the merrimac many yrs ago) but an actual population somewhere or even a few individuals that have been believed to have made it through a new england winter?? again, not meaning to come off like a wiseguy i just wasnt sure if i misunderstood your quote or if i missed this about alligators up here. just asking for curiousity's sake....and safety's sake i guess next time out there. take care. eric
"yea...ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE....mother-nature is a mad scientist...and I seen David Copperfield cut himself in half with a BIGASS Saw-Mill blade in the old Worcester Auditorium back in the 90's,BUT, here's my view on TheWebsterLake"Peacock---This was CLEARLY a case of an owner-released aquarium bred&fed animal---I've spent countless hours reading this thread and researching it ALL OVER the web...I Echo JohnnyBags' view---IT SPAWNS THE EQUATOR GUYS ! ! ! !
Let's QUICKLY address this "alligator" angle....alligators are pre-historic PREDATORY animals who NEVER EVER distinguish a set food pattern...why? BECAUSE THEY EAT EVERYTHING ! where as a "school"fish has a set of feeding & spawning patterns that are based on "the-group's" behavior...
-------And as for the angle that a warm water source may give a species like this a chance at survival----well, I happen to know that the only source in and out of Webster Lake is The French River-enters-North exits-South---Now What?---It's the same damn 59deg. water with maybe a 1-5degree difference at those areas----"the peacock's" optimal survival temps are 74-85deg. . . .Now ask yourselves. . . Isn't BASIC MATH telling us what the picture here isn't????
Let's QUICKLY address this "alligator" angle....alligators are pre-historic PREDATORY animals who NEVER EVER distinguish a set food pattern...why? BECAUSE THEY EAT EVERYTHING ! where as a "school"fish has a set of feeding & spawning patterns that are based on "the-group's" behavior...
-------And as for the angle that a warm water source may give a species like this a chance at survival----well, I happen to know that the only source in and out of Webster Lake is The French River-enters-North exits-South---Now What?---It's the same damn 59deg. water with maybe a 1-5degree difference at those areas----"the peacock's" optimal survival temps are 74-85deg. . . .Now ask yourselves. . . Isn't BASIC MATH telling us what the picture here isn't????
@ma_fisherman
Here is a link to the alligator that was captured in the Charles river in Needham last year.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1280535&srvc=rss
Animals can and do adapt to new environments. Also as if that is not risk enough with non-native species...There is always the specter of GMO fishes like the kind they started selling in the pet shops a few years back.
http://www.glofish.com/faq.asp
We just can't afford to be complacent about this sort of thing.
Here is a link to the alligator that was captured in the Charles river in Needham last year.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1280535&srvc=rss
Animals can and do adapt to new environments. Also as if that is not risk enough with non-native species...There is always the specter of GMO fishes like the kind they started selling in the pet shops a few years back.
http://www.glofish.com/faq.asp
We just can't afford to be complacent about this sort of thing.