Stocking a small pond

Question
Hi I live in Panama City Fl.  There is a small city owned drainage pond behind my house.  Since I moved in in July I have seen egrets and herons everyday.  The neighbor hood kids fish in the pond (catch and release).  About 4 weeks ago a cormorant started coming to fish in the pond daily. Now I have not seen an egret or heron in 2 weeks, the kids have not caught anything the last couple of times and I don't see any fish bigger that 2 inches in the shallows anymore.  Is this normal?  Did the cormorant eat everything? Can I restock the pond?  Will it restock itself?   Any advice you have for me is greatly appreciated.  Thank you

Answer
; Unless the pond is very shallow I do not believe that one cormorant could clean out a pond in a couple of weeks.  It is more likely that the egret and heron have simply moved on to somewhere else and the kids aren't catching anything simply because they aren't biting.  If, however, this continues into the spring and summer you might check with the state fisheries people to have them see if the pond needs restocking.

If there are any fish in the pond they will replenish themselves if conditions are right.  That is if there isn't some contaminant in the water to prevent spawning or the growth of the fish or a lack of oxygen due to decaying plants during the winter.

By the way I lived in Panama City for 24 years.  I am curious as to where you live and where this pond is located.

I hope this has been of some help and thanks for calling on me to answer your question.  

I am
Jack L. Gaither  (JackfromSeminole)
Lake Seminole, Georgia