The first step in protecting your fish is to provide structure in the pond water for the fish to hide. Placing concrete blocks in the water or deepening the pond will help. The fish are more vulnerable if the pond is small and shallow.
A second alternative is to fence off your pond around the sides and the top. A 4-foot high fence may help reduce the problem, but it may not eliminate it, as the raccoons can climb the fence. Adding an electric line around the fence will certainly help, but the fact that the fence is around water may be too dangerous. Consult with an electric fence expert to see if this technique would work in your situation.
Raccoons are often wary of entering deep water. If a pond's perimeter bank drops at a vertical angle into approximately 2 feet or more of water, raccoons might be discouraged from attempting to destroy resident fish.
If fish are disappearing only during daylight hours and no plant life has been disturbed, then you should consider herons or other fish-eating birds as possible culprits.
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Raccoons
