Does anyone know how to deter grey heron eating all the fish in a garden pond ???

Answer 1

Plastic herons are not very effective.
Small guage netting works, but only if it is raised about 30 cm (1 foot) above the water's surface and sufficiently strong and well enough supported to repel attack. Unfortunately this is not very attractive and probably spoils the look of your pond.
Herons approach a pond with the intention of wading so if the pond has steep sides or no submerged shelf, this is impossible and is also why netting helps. However they are quite happy to stand on the edge and fish from there. They will take fish through netting if the holes are big enough.
If you can prevent the heron from getting into this position it cannot fish, so protect the edge of your pond with nylon monofilament (fishing line) supported at various heights up to about 60 cm (2 feet) and a lower ring of monofilament about 30 cm outside this.
The monofilament is almost invisible, you can be creative with the supporting stakes, the netting might be redundant, you can use the plastic heron for target practise and your pond will still look good.

Answer 2

I lots my prize koi the other week to a heron. What i have done it place a fisihing wire on some short lengths of bamboo around the perimeter of the pond about 250mm from the top of the water. Herons do not land in the water they wade into the pond they cant see the line and when there legs hit it they file off. A very good fish keeper told me this and so far no more fish have gone. Be warned once they have feed they will return.

Answer 3

there is such a thing as a heron alarm. Sonic thing that frightens them half to death. Any sonic alarm will do, doesn't have to be specifically for herons. Even a movement sensitive halogeon lamp is quite good. A heron won't step into a pond unless it can feel the bottom. I've got a raised pond and never lose fish. If you use decoys...just remember to move them about occassionally. Herons aren't stupid. They don't pick your pond randomly. They do a round of ponds each morning.

Answer 4

YEP a plastic heron deters other real herons. A few strands of ( almost invisible) fishing line strung across the pond at a height of 2-3 feet works too. They see the line and won't risk a touchdown landing.

Answer 5

We had our pond emptied several times. I know it doesn't look very natural but plastic netting over the pond appears to be the answer. Originally, if you had a plastic replica heron by the pond, so we were told, it would deter other herons - don't you believe it. Herons aren't as stupid as us!

Answer 6

I've known people to put a plastic one in the pond to make the real heron think that someone got to the pond first!

No idea if this works or not!!!!

Answer 7

I bought a fake plastic Heron on Ebay that seems to have some sucess. It does not work 100% of the time but there is a definite decrease in heron visits since we got it.

PS: If you shoot the Heron, it is a federal crime to shoot a protected species so possibly plan to go to federal 'vacation' if you do this.

Answer 8

the best thing to do is to put nettting over your pond, the decoy doesn't work you can get netting at fish shop or you can go to garden shop and buy fruit tree netting we were cleaned out by a heron also, right now I have a diving owl believe it or not, it sits over the pond and dives in and usually grabs one of my best fish it isn't satisfied with one of the uglier ones, and then it has the nerve to fly onto nearby branch so I can watch it eat! a friend of mine had a little kingfisher discover her pond and he got everything she had except for the larger koi
(the reason my net isn't up right now is because I had a frame over my pond to hold up the net and a large tree limb fell during the last storm and busted up my frame)
if you have any problems with leaves the netting will help in that aspect also
Good Luck

Answer 9

We had the same problem, we purchased a plastic heron which now stands next to the pond

Herons do not like sharing with other herons, so if they see the 'fake' they don't stop to eat

Answer 10

You can buy plastic herons from most country/ garden stores. The bogus heron deters real herons from landing. If that fails, a 12 bore shot gun usually does the trick.