|
 |
Trout
Pond
Park
is a 40-acre Southampton Town Park located on Noyac Road.
Within the park there is a mile-long loop trail that
meanders through an oak forest
and around a 7-acre pond. Two upland groundwater-fed
streams and direct groundwater seepage are the primary
sources of water for the pond. The pond ultimately flows
over a spillway into Mill Creek,
Noyac
Bay and the Peconic Bay Estuary. Currently, the only trout
in Trout Pond are those surviving rainbow and brown trout
introduced by the Town Trustees. However, in the late 19th
century, this pond was stocked
with trout in hopes of establishing a harvestable supply. A
recent preliminary study of the water quality and biological
assets of Trout Pond was performed
by Southampton College Prof. Robert Turner and his hydrology
class. Trout Pond lies downstream on an area that is
currently under development. Turner and his students have
initiated a program to monitor any ecological impact such
development would have on the pond. Last October, a survey
of fishes revealed the usual suspects: largemouth bass,
pumpkin seed
sunfish, American eel, carp, rainbow trout and mosquitofish.
MOSQUITOFISH? Would you know one if you saw one? Not
likely. Mosquitofish could be confused
with rainwater killifish; both are small and similarly shaped
except the Mosquitofish has a more strongly upturned
mouth. The Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, belongs to a
large fish family that is better known from Central and
South America. When the mosquitofish is found so far north
it is because it was introduced. This practice started
over 50 years ago for the mosquito control. Although,
Gambusia can not easily survive cold water, occasionally
they can over winter in such ponds as Trout Pond. |
|
Unlike any of our native freshwater and marine fishes,
female Gambusia gives birth to live young after carrying
them for 3 to 4 weeks. The male uses an organ (the
gonopodium) modified from his anal fin rays to inseminate
females. Mosquitofish are only a little more than 2 inches
in length. Like many small fishes they have a very short
lifespan. Males and females rarely live more than 1 and 3
years, respectively. Life is tough in Trout Pond for these
fish. If they do not succeed to survive the winter, larger
fish find them perfect snacks. So, this summer when you are
hiking around Trout Pond with one less mosquito bite, thank
a Gambusi |
