Thieves plunder Elizabeth Bay pond for valuable koi carp

A POND once filled with large koi has been plundered by greedy fishermen looking to cash in, with the fish worth up to $1200 in a pet shop.

Koi European carp fish.

A POND once filled with large koi has been plundered by greedy fishermen looking to cash in, with the fish worth up to $1200 in a pet shop.

Resident Bill Davies said the pond in Arthur McElhone Reserve, Elizabeth Bay, used to be home of up to 60 large koi fish — some as old as 40 and at least 50cm long.

Now, there are as few as five left.

A gardener who works on the site has told locals that two men with buckets and fishing nets had been spotted near the pond twice, according to Mr Davies.

A City of Sydney spokeswoman said the incident had been reported to police.

And the thieves could have landed a hefty payday for the fish, with advertising for a three-year-old 42cm Koi Fish selling for $1200.

“The fish in the city’s parks are for everyone’s enjoyment and it is disappointing that people are stealing them,” the council spokeswoman said.

Arthur McElhone Reserve, Elizabeth Bay.

“The City’s parks staff have placed large river stones in the ponds to make it more difficult to drag a net along the bottom. Staff are also closely monitoring the ponds and checking fish numbers.

Arthur McElhone Reserve, Elizabeth Bay, used to be home of up to 60 large koi fish.

“The City is investigating installing additional security options for the site, such as sensor lighting, to prevent more thefts.”

The council is considering replacing the stolen fish.

Mr Davies said the theft happened about five weeks ago and locals had heard nothing since.

“Everyone is upset about it, and it is not surprising, to me it was sensational that nothing had been said or done,” he said.

He called for the council to stump up a reward to catch the culprits.

“If they don’t get the perpetrators, they could donate the money to more fish and a couple of cameras. That would be really doing something constructive, once the thieves know there are cameras they won’t come back.”

Detective Inspector Bob Allison from Kings Cross police said the nature of the crime made it hard to track down the culprits.

“Unfortunately they’re difficult to follow up, you tend to think people stealing this type of thing generally have someone that wants it already and they are probably disposed of very quickly. It is not the kind of thing you would hold on to.”

Det Insp Allison said anyone with information could contact Kings Cross police on 8356 0099 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000