(Jan and I worked a bit on these to give some
more information. Taking advantage of my own
raccoon visit this morning I thought I'd repost them
from time to time. While predators don't bother me
and my pond philosophy - I am a nature ponder -
they can cause real heartache for other ponders.)



Help, something is eating my fish!

Build it and all of a sudden all of nature shows up in your backyard
eating your fish!

Herons, raccoons, snakes, snapping turtles, bullfrogs and kingfishers
are some of
the most common predators in backyard ponds.
Uncommon are minks, otters, owls, hawks, cats and my vice squad
labradors who
take canoodling fish out of the pond and lay them on the grass to
contemplate a life
of celibacy (because they'll be dead...)

What works to keep them away?
Lots of things. If you know you live in a, say, area heavy in raccoon
traffic,
you'd be wise to be proactive and plan your pond with protection in
mind. Once predators discover the nice sushi bar
you've opened they'll be repeat customers.

All these tips work depending on how your pond is set up and your
individual predator ~

Try:

- putting up an electric Fido Fence around the pond.
- or the more expensive Pond Guardian fence which lays out over the
water.
- setting up a motion activated sprinkler, sometimes two for
determined predators
- setting up a humane trap for raccoons (call Animal Control, many
times they will
lend them to you for free).
- netting the pond, turtles can slip under nets, snakes will get
caught in them ~ eek!
(also be very careful with birds of prey, if one gets tangled in your
net call Fish
and Wildlife immediately for advice!)
- stringing fishing line here and there and everywhere to flummox
herons
(this may take time to find the path it takes to your pond)
- putting in a 'heron scarer' decoy for kingfishers and herons - the
easier to
catch fake fish will give the real fish time to hide.
- black pipes at the bottom of the pond, good hiding places.
(go to www.froogle.com for info and price comparisons)

Remember different methods work for different configured ponds and
backyards.
NO method is foolproof. Sometimes the best you can hope for is
to discourage predators and make
it too much work to fish at your pond.

Lethal methods are discouraged as some of these
animals are federally protected (herons and birds of prey) and you can
get in a lot
of trouble which cuts into pond dollars and pond time.

k :-)