All other things being equal, clear water ponds can produce many more fish than muddy ponds. Muddy water reduces fish food availability, and interferes with the ability of fish to see and catch prey. Muddy waters favor blue-green algae and bacterial growth, which can impart a bad flavor to drinking water and food fish. Green water is usually the result of algae, which is another type of problem with a different solution than that discussed here. It is a sad irony that the same soil that is vital for agricultural production on land becomes a major pollutant when suspended in water.

Marine finfish production is a rapidly expanding field, both in research and industrial aquaculture. A driving force behind this growth is the inherently high value placed upon marine finfish products in the marketplace. 

We monitored wildlife use of reclaimed mine land areas of varying ages and vegetation types at two locations in southwestern Virginia in May through July of 2007 and 2008. Bird, salamander, and frog communities were studied to gain an understanding of how site use and species composition were affected by postmining vegetation characteristics. Mined-land communities were compared with wildlife communities in nearby nonmined forests to better understand how mining and reclamation practices affect wildlife. Here, as an outcome of that study and considering prior research, we provide recommendations for reclamation practices to enhance use of mined land by wildlife.