pond-goldfish-protection from mink? and heron

eagle owl

I'm sure a perennial question for pond owners, but new here......

My brother in law has a nice pond but recently in was cleared out of it's big goldfish.:pac::pac::pac: A few smallies remaining now. We think it must have been a mink this time (river, estuary close by) and not the heron who always takes a few. Anyhow he has put up a 1.5 ft chicken mesh 'wall' around the pond but I think a mink would easily get over this.

Any suggestions for mink proofing a pond without making an unsightly mess. He puts some wires and things across the pond to discourage the heron and keep the odd duck from settling in....

Maybe just let nature take its course?!!! and forget about the fishies....but he likes looking at them.... any suggestions gratefully received....

Thank you.

The Sweeper

Put a fish hide in the base of the pond by balancing a few concrete paving slabs here and there on the bottom (number depending on the size of the pond) using house bricks as pillars. It sounds like a large pond if he's duck-proofing it, so you can create similar shelter by using a rock edge to create overhangs that the fish can hide under whenever they see the shadow of a heron.

Plant anti-animal thorny shrubs around the perimeter of the pond (though these are anti-person too, so you'll need to set up something on the pond edge so you can lean a ramp over the impenetrable thicket if you need to get to the pond). Even a few thorny thickets will help to discourage wildlife, because the thorns drop off and make an impassable carpet under the plants, so you could narrow the access routes to the pond down to two or three pathways (or even one if that suits you).

Buy sheer netting in transparent plastic and cover the entire pond with it. (This will ultimately be the most effective method, but it's not attractive.)

If it's mink, see if you have a local wildlife warden or fish & game control warden or somesuch. Mink are recognised pests and your local wildlife entity may be only too pleased to help you trap a mink and get rid of it.

Can't think of anything else. I believe the most difficult challenge of gardening is when you have a food source for wildlife on your property and you don't want them availing of that food source. (Bunnies with your lettuces, herons with your goldfish, birds with your fruit trees, and in my case possums stripping the foliage off anything they think tastes good.)

eagle owl

Thanks for reply- relayed it on. Your suggestion re the wildlife service is good and he will contact them to see if they will trap the alleged offender! He has some hides at the bottom including some small pipes, which help the smaller ones but the problem is that the goldfish get very big, some wider than a mink I'm sure. Note his pond is ca 10m by 2 metres at widest point, his pride and joy and visible from the house ; planted with nice specimens all around- thorny bushes not on the agenda methinks... Have a nice day. Thanks again.