"~ jan" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 9 Oct 2009 17:21:27 EDT, "ReelMcKoi" wrote:

In the past 6 months I've noticed people getting rid of their ponds.

Could be the fad is over in your area.

It looks to be going strong here in the PNW. We already have many new
volunteers to be on next year's pond tour and the chairperson had the
advertisers calling her, rather than the other way around this year,
that's
a first. We took last year off, perhaps people and advertisers noticed?

I do know that things like predators or fish diseases that wipe out one's
collection can be seriously disheartening. If the pond isn't easy
maintenance or life changes have made them more chore then joy, something
like the above can make people give up and sell out.

It's probably a combination where I live. Most ponders I knew locally
complained
about predation. You know we have a terrible predator problems here. They
would
lose a few special pet fish and become disheartened as you said. I know one
woman felt as I
did, it was becoming too much of a chore - more work than pleasure. And a
dying
market for young koi and shubunkins. I was to the point I couldn't even give
away the young
fish. The shops said pond fish weren't selling like before. People's ponds
get overcrowded and
the have nowhere to take the excess fish. Few people like killing them. She
said they were
filling it in (leaving the liner) and making a bog garden.

If I didn't have my son to put up the hot wire because of the raccoons,
I'm
not sure what I would have done instead of... .

I also think the economy plays a part in purchase of equipment for old
ponds and the start up of new ponds. If there isn't enough of a turn-over
in a particular area they aren't going to hang on to stock because they
can't be competitive with the internet. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

PS, I'm going to try a different NSP as the formatting of my posts here
makes them almost unreadable.
--
Kelly..........
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