Disappearing fish.

[Rosanne]

i have a very old pond system in my 600 year old garden. Essentially it is two ponds each about ten yards by fifteen, with one about twenty yards from the other and two yards higher. In between there are five smaller ponds. The bottom one pumps water to the top, which then feeds a water fall system linking all the ponds together. All of the ponds can and do sustain fish , frogs and newts, although I believe that such fish as are found in the smaller feeder ponds, get there are a result of either fish or fish eggs being carried down in the water fall from the top pond. All of these ponds are extremely natural and surrounded by bull rushes, reeds and suitable shrubs. The bottom pond has very many lilies.

The bottom pond has scores of fish in it, mainly gold fish, orfe or grass carp which virtually feed from my hand every evening at about seven o/clock. Last week EVERY SINGLE fish from the bottom pond disappeared overnight. A few remained in the top pond, but there has never been many there anyway.
Some five or so years ago when I had two magnificent koi carp in the bottom pond, these were killed by an otter ( I live about three hundred yards from a river with resident otters ). Similarly, we have lost fish to herons, but have not seen one for about three years. My garden is very secure with high stone walls and we think that the otter got in over a tangle of bushes outside in one place and a compost heap,in the inside, but what might have caused the disappearance of scores of fish ?

 

[Gemma]

I'm not familiar with predators in your area, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for your fish loss!

 

[Jhn]

If there is no evidence around the pond, I would guess it’s a heron. Most other predators leave fish parts around or trample plants.

 

[mrsclem]

thinking otter or mink. Heron wouldn't take that many fish.

 

[Lisak1]

thinking otter or mink. Heron wouldn't take that many fish.

I agree with that - a mink will empty a pond of even full sized koi overnight.

 

[j.w]

Wow one mink can eat that many fish in one night? Glad I don't have those around here. Heron is bad enough and w/o my wire fence and net over the pond my fish would all be gone!

 

[Lisak1]

Yup. We visited one pond that had been emptied overnight - in the dead of winter with a full ice cap. The mink used that useful hole in the ice to drag out every single koi.

 

[j.w]

What are they doing w/the fish? Bury them somewhere for later feeding? They can't eat them all at once.

 

[Lisak1]

That's a really good question - feeding the whole tribe maybe!

 

[Rosanne]

I agree with that - a mink will empty a pond of even full sized koi overnight.

Interestingly, mink are known to be a problem on certain parts of my local river, but my gardener/ handyman, who is a wise old bird who fishes most of the river nearby, did not venture a guess as to mink being the culprits. Right now he rails against American crayfish who consume vast numbers of fish eggs. If it were mink might not one see some evidence such as fragments of fish nearby or floating in the pond ? As of now there is not even an atom of a fish left behind.

 

[Rosanne]

I'm not familiar with predators in your area, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for your fish loss!

Thank you for your concern. It is much appreciated. By the bye, I didn't mention that I live in England.

Cheers,
Rosanne.

 

[Rosanne]

Ryan, my gardener/ handyman, and I conducted an inch by inch search of around the ponds a few minutes ago. We also did some serious pruning of the lilies and bull rushes.
All of this was done in the hope that we might solve the mystery of our missing fish.
We saw only three very small grass carp of the black variety and absolutely nothing else, nary a scale. Ryan doesn't think that mink are the villains of the piece.
Rosanne

 

[Tula]

I agree with @mrsclem , mink or otter. I've followed various forums for years and whenever a pond is literally emptied overnight, it's either a mink or otter. Raccoons usually trash the pond and I don't think a heron could empty the entire pond.

 

[Rosanne]

I agree with @mrsclem , mink or otter. I've followed various forums for years and whenever a pond is literally emptied overnight, it's either a mink or otter. Raccoons usually trash the pond and I don't think a heron could empty the entire pond.

The weight of opinion seems to support the theory that mink are to blame, but what puzzles everyone here is the total lack of any corpses or fragments of corpses. It's hard to believe that scores of destroyed fish will not leave anything whatsoever behind.

 

[Lisak1]

One of the hallmarks of a mink predation is no evidence left behind. And an empty pond.