Missing: Goldfish (Sarasas, Comets, and Shubunkins)

In the spring of 2014, I made the startling discovery that all the goldfish in my outdoor fish pond were gone. I dredged the pond for bodies, but I did not find any. I even had the pond drained and cleaned, and we didn’t find one remnant of a goldish. Nothing. We restocked the pond that summer, and the fish did fine through the fall, winter, spring, and summer. Now just within the last few weeks, it has happened again. All my goldfish are gone!

The black walnut trees dominate my yard. I have several near the fish pond, and each fall walnuts plop into the pond. Though I know that the juglone in the walnut is toxic, and it can kill fish, I cannot explain why my goldfish survived and thrived for years even under the constant threat of the black walnut trees. Untold numbers of walnuts would fall into the pond every fall, and yet the fish would live and grow. The first batch of goldfish that went went missing had been there for ages (well over five years), so I couldn’t imagine it was the black walnuts. Plus, there were no bodies. It’s not like juglone is hydrochloric acid. This is not some horror movie where the murderer dissolves the bodies.

Four frogs inhabited the pond, and now only one survives. We never did figure out what types of frogs they were. Each one could fit in the palm of your hand, so they weren’t very large. They certainly weren’t large enough to eat all the fish (around 30 in total), and the last one left wasn’t large enough to have devoured everything including fellow frogs. I’m thinking the missing frogs were victims as well.

I have noticed two blue herons flying over the house from time to time. Heron usually prefer to hang out by themselves, but for whatever reason, this pair seem to enjoy each other’s company. Though I have never seen heron by the fish pond, I suppose they could have dropped by for an afternoon snack. The thought of two heron dining out at my local fish pond infuriates me. Bully birds! They have a whole creek full of fish nearby. Still, I have heard stories that a heron emptied a pond a few streets away in the spring of 2014, when my first fish disappearance occurred, so I’m thinking they are the likely culprits.

Other possibilities include local cats and raccoons, but in both of those cases, I would think the fish could swim away. The deep end of the fish pond is around five feet deep. No cat or raccoon I’ve ever seen could reach down into a pond so deeply.

This is the scene of the crime. The specks of red in the pond masquerade as goldfish bodies, but they are leaves. All my goldfish are gone without a trace!

My heart feels heavy knowing that my goldfish are gone. I guess I won’t have to worry about them this winter if it gets incredibly cold. I won’t need to go out and poke holes in the ice. In the spring, I will begin again, but this time I’m putting up a trail camera. I want to know who’s visiting that pond when I’m not looking. The next time my fish disappear (and I’m sure they will) I want to be able to identify the thief!