Koi AWOL

[Koikarol]

As if the pandemic wasn’t enough, all our koi have gone “missing “ over the winter. Our pond is natural, just under an acre . We have had koi for over 30 years. 2020 was a mild winter in New England. We winter in Florida so not sure what transpired while we were gone. The pond is spring fed and doesn’t completely freeze even in cold years. We had 25-30 mostly 1 to 1 1/2 foot koi through the fall, now its May and nothing. Our pond sits at the rear of our 4 acre property and can be viewed from our home, We have osprey in the summer and herons, but the pond is over 8 feet deep and other than an occasional catch by an osprey, the fish usually protect themselves pretty well. When we first arrived home we did see a muskrat on the bank of the pond, an uncommon sight. Could it have done this type of damage? After all these years this is a big mystery

 

[Jhn]

Muskrats are omnivores so fish Are on the menu for them. i Guess it could be possible but they aren’t the most nimble or speedy of swimmers. Otters or minks are the ones that have a reputation for cleaning out ponds of fish.

In a pond that big and deep are you sure the fish are all gone? when traumatized by a predator fish are unbelievably good at hiding.

 

[JRS]

There were a couple of incidents in my area of koinappers in the past as well as others. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2...s-window-on-lucrative-carp-cult/#.Xr6Mp0RKgdU

 

[Koikarol]

We did see many small sunfish as well as a small sun turtle recently-I tossed food into the water and still no koi. By this time of year there normally is a sighting. After over 30 years the fish are pretty much “trained” to come to feed in the same area. Even the vibration of the riding mower seems to attract them-which is why this is so odd -with the size and number of koi as well as the fact they would have hibernated all winter, a theft seems to be unlucky. The pond is not easily accessible by others. Thank you for your thoughts-will keep everyone posted going forward-have a safe weekend.

 

[Lisak1]

Wow! Whatever it was, it had to have some kind of appetite! We had a skunk catch and kill two of our koi one spring. The only evidence we had was a few scales left behind on a rock and the distinctive odor of that sneaky critter.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome, but sorry that you had to come here under such sad circumstances. Hope you can figure out what happened to your koi! Is there any possibility you could use a seine net...? If for no other reason than to assure that they’re not hiding down there.

 

[Tula]

It sure sounds like a mink or an otter.....they'll wipe out a pond. They are warm blooded so hunting slow moving ( cold blooded) fish in winter is EASY.

 

[j.w]

@Koikarol
So sorry. What a horrid thing to come home to! Whatever happened they had the whole winter to take them out one by one. I too hope they are hiding but if not and you get anymore sounds like a net will be in your future or some kind of way to keep those critters out.

 

[WaterGardener]

I vote for mink. They don't kill to eat necessarily, but will kill every fish, just for the fun of it, it seems. And they have no trouble swimming in the pond and catching the fish. The fish can't escape them.

Sorry this has happened. I do hope they aren't completely wiped out.

 

[Koikarol]

Thank you all for your replies-wanted to give an update-a few days after my post I finally saw one large fish-it is about 18 inches multi-colored-I tossed some food in the water and the koi seemed lethargic and not particularly interested-a few days later he/she had a companion-a small off white 6-8 inch koi-they are feeding but not with the voracity as when 29-30 were all fighting for food at once. Even saw an osprey check out the pond and move on. There are dozens of sun fish and a few sun turtles so I think that rules out contaminates. Attached is a photo from October when the pond was low-it has since filled to banks. The 2nd photo is the large fish I saw today-the small one not visable in this pic. I have reached out to our neighbors via email-awaiting a reply -asked if they saw anything unusual. 2020 not shaping up to be a good year on many fronts -thx for everyones input-stay safe.

 

[j.w]

It is a shame what happened. No foot prints or anything happening around there now? You said it's 8 ft deep. Wonder if more could just be hiding? If something took them I would think they would still come back looking for more. I would set up a trail cam and see what lurks around there at night. You'll need more than one for that huge pond. Anybody else have ponds around you? If so maybe talk w/them.

 

[AlyssaFish]

How does the water temperature compare right now to how it usually is this time of year? Is it possible your fish are still lethargic from the cold?