Power Plant Cooling Pond Cichlids

[jbru70]

I didnt recall it till someone else brought it up..........but when I was a kid we used to go bass fishing in the extremely warm waters of our local nuclear power plant cooling pond. Much to my Mother's dismay. She said we would come home glowing green one day.

Then another fishing buddy introduced me to another cooling pond near the local aluminum plant. Im guessing the water was around 80 f. There were all kinds of odd looking fish(cichlids). I remember there were huge Oscars,bluegill, sunfish, and tons of smaller tropical looking fish I had no idea what they were at the time. Even caught a few on worms. The Oscars were huge.

But we were after largemouth bass so we tossed them back.

I never thought about the money that could be made till now. $$$$


Has anyone else checked out their local cooling pond for cichlids

 

[peathenster]

I hope you didn't eat any of the fish you caught...

 

[jbru70]

I hope you didn't eat any of the fish you caught...

Actually we never ate any of the nuclear plant fish. But we did eat the ones from the aluminum plant and a paper mill.

 

[peathenster]

This is probably paranoia, but some predatory fish in those ponds might accumulate a lot of harmful wastes (heavy metals, etc).

 

[jbru70]

This is probably paranoia, but some predatory fish in those ponds might accumulate a lot of harmful wastes (heavy metals, etc).

Oh I imagine you're 100% correct there. And after working in a sawmill as a boilerman. I know for a fact that we put caustic soda and a mix of other chemicals that reduced corosion and scale build-up inside the boiler. Yet our overflow pond was teaming with algae,fish,ducks,and my favorite indicator of toxins............frogs.

When I first started working at that mill I was pulling chain(stacking lumber off of a conveyer belt). No one bothered to inform me that the water in our bathroom was from this overflow pond. So for about two months I was filling my water jug from the bathroom sink and drinking it. The only fresh water in the place was in the fire systems

 

[Spaz]

Oh I imagine you're 100% correct there. And after working in a sawmill as a boilerman. I know for a fact that we put caustic soda and a mix of other chemicals that reduced corosion and scale build-up inside the boiler. Yet our overflow pond was teaming with algae,fish,ducks,and my favorite indicator of toxins............frogs.

When I first started working at that mill I was pulling chain(stacking lumber off of a conveyer belt). No one bothered to inform me that the water in our bathroom was from this overflow pond. So for about two months I was filling my water jug from the bathroom sink and drinking it. The only fresh water in the place was in the fire systems

Holy s**t. That's terrible but at the same time hilarious.

 

[justonemoretank]

The water in the ponds is not radioactive. My husband works at a power plant, and he has to go out and pull the fishes and crabs out of the screens every now and then. The screens are set up so that the wildlife doesn't get recirculated back into the plant, because they use the same water over and over to cool the reactors. The water doesn't come in contact with the fuel, so it is not harmful in any way. The animals are fine (except the ones that the birds pick out of the screens, kinda like a buffet). If it was harmful, no one would be able to get near it to fish or whatever -- don't you think it would be a little more protected? I'm not sure on all of the details of the process, because I really don't have much interest in the minute details, but I do know that it's safe, and the fish are safe.

 

[jbru70]

I figured the water was ok. Or the frogs would die. If theres frogs the water is usually good. They seem to be the first ones to die in the event of any sort of pollution.

Did I mention the leeches........there were freakin tons of leeches in these warm ponds. That probably explains the huge fish. An endless supply of leeches to munch on.

It was so much fun to go out on a cold morning and be warm in the little inflatable raft we fished from.

 

[zorba4884]

Ah powerplant fish

there is ment to be JDs over hear in australia in the powerplant pounds in NSW and Victoria thoe the power plants are not nuclear ones and i do not rember were i read that but it could be true.

 

[LobstersGoPeenchPeench]

here in cedar rapids iowa we have a quaker oats plant and there is what we call a sluegh. well anyways ppl have pulled up massive oscars and pirahna out of it. also my uncle works at the alliant power plant and they have cooling ponds and theres a giant 3 ' pacu that lives in one of them. they all feed it... hah