OKC’s fishery team catches 14-pound koi in pond
“The running bet is that it either came in a fisherman’s bait bucket or someone just had a big fish they didn’t want to keep around
By Kilee Thomas
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Oklahoma City’s fishery team caught a surprise 14-pound koi in a pond on Monday, the largest they have seen in a spot like this.
The fish, which is known to eat fish eggs, was found in a popular fishing spot.
“The running bet is that it either came in a fisherman’s bait bucket or someone just had a big fish they didn’t want to keep around, John Rayfield, fisheries biologist with the city of Oklahoma City, said.
The catch wasn’t what the fishery team was expecting. The fish was caught at Zoo Park, a popular pond for casting a line.
“They actually feed off eggs and everything else so they could impact our sports fish,” Rayfield said.
The team was electrofishing, a method used to survey fish stock every spring and fall, when they spotted the monster.
“We have a nice, big generator on a boat with these antennas that go into the water, and we actually shock the fish, and they come to the surface and then we weigh and measure them and release them back into the water,” Rayfield said. “We don’t like to keep those guys in our fishable waters, so we decided to transport it and put it into Will Rogers Gardens.”
Now, the large koi is among his fishy friends and available for the public to view.
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Even at 14 pounds, the city said the koi isn’t their “white whale.” There’s a goldfish on the loose.
“Actually, there is a goldfish at Martin Nature Park that we are trying to catch, but he has eluded us for a few years,” Rayfield said. “It’s pretty big. Every time we shock, we see him, make a little bit of waves and then swims off. We just can’t keep up to him.”
The city’s fishery biologist said the koi fish isn’t an invasive species, but they wanted to keep the fish safe in a non-fishing pond.
For those wanting to learn more, there is an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at HB Parsons Fish Hatchery, where the team will showcase what makes them one of the most comprehensive fishery programs in the nation.
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