Rescue Journal

fish thoughts

Carol · Jul. 29, 2013

apparently there are still fish in our pond because the dogs had a dead one to roll in last night. i haven't seen a fish from there in at least 6 years so it was a bit of a surprise. (the folks who owned the place before me, stocked it with trout.)

i wonder what kind of life those fish have in our pond? is it a good life, with plenty to eat? or is it a hard life filled with hardship and struggling? i know nothing about what is under those waters...ecosystems in ponds are outside my base of knowledge.

i haven't seen our heron around in the past couple of years, so it must not be the greatest of fishing in there now. it would be sad if that was the last fish, and he/she lived her life alone.

i think that pond has to suck for any fish stuck living in there. its not like a frog or a salamander, that can pack up and leave if the pickings are bare....any fish are permanently trapped there.

i hope our pond is not a prison, i hope it provides a decent life to any who have to live out their lives there.

i have decided...the stocking of backyard ponds for human amusement is probably not very kind.

Comments

Diana

Does the pond mostly dry up or does it keep a lot of water? Trout are high oxygen fish and won't survive with shallow, warm water. But there are other fish that will.

Lenore Henry

To be honest Suzanne, our pond was about 75% covered with lily pads and other plants. That clever old heron would perch himself up on our roof and glare down into our pond and wait until he saw the slightest movement and then strike. All the barking by our dogs or us trying to scare him away didn't seem to work - he was focused and would be so quick at catching our fish. At one point we were going to buy the netting that goes over the pond but we also have raccoons and possums that come to drink from it and were afraid they might get their claws caught in it.

Lenore

suzanne

plant a whole host of lilly pads for them to hide under

suzanne

hi Carol,
OT:
Now that we have access to and are using cartrophen (my Max got his first shot on Thursday! Yea!)would you please be able to tell me what drug you use up there to dissolve struvite stones? Max has had surgery for those and if there is a way to avoid that possibility in the future his vet and I would love to know. Thank you,
Suzanne

Lenore Henry

Hi Carol - I have to agree with you regarding your comment on stocking a pond for "human amusement". We built a pond in our backyard a number of years ago, due to the fact that both our dogs, a Golden and a Lab dug so many holes in the yard my husband finally decided since they helped get the pond started he would try a pond. We stocked it with koi and goldfish and really enjoyed it.....for awhile!! On too many occasions, herons would visit and scoop the fish out and it really bothered me as the fish had become quite used to being fed by hand and if one can call fish "pets", they were in a way our pets. We decided after the last goldfish was taken we had had enough and decided we would not stock it again. A few years went by and low and behold one morning I saw a flash of orange swim by and I thought I was seeing things but sure enough one of the original goldfish had survived. We were told they can live on algae for some time and I guess this is how it survived. Unfortunately, the heron returned and I watched the "little survivor" being carried away in the heron's beak. I know it is nature at work but it wasn't for me. I would miss having the pond as it is a very peaceful place to sit and watch so many different varieties of birds that come to visit, bathe and play with each other and that is the wonderful part of nature I would rather see.

Lenore Henry