The City of Ottawa is investigating after thousands of dead koi fish were found in a stormwater pond in Ottawa’s Central Park neighbourhood over the weekend.
On Saturday, staff were notified about the presence of fish in a pond near the Central Experimental Farm.
Coun. Riley Brockington says staff visited the pond on Monday and confirmed “several thousand dead goldfish” in the pond.
“Staff collected about 1,500 dead goldfish from the pond & will continue with retrieval, as ice conditions improve,” Brockington said on X.
Photos show several dead fish along the shore of the pond.
“It’s quite surprising,” resident Anthony Bailey said. “At one point in the summer, it was nice to see them swimming around then after seeing them all dead on the side there is a little saddening.”
The city says it’s believed the fish died due to ice cover and cold temperatures.
“Staff have begun removing the fish and will continue the cleanup process as the ice melts and allows for safe access,” Ryan Polkinghorne, Ottawa’s program manager of Stormwater Management and Environmental Monitoring, said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.
“Goldfish are an invasive species that can negatively impact native fish populations.”
The city has reported the incident to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Polkinghome says it’s unclear how the goldfish were released into the stormwater pond.
“We would like to remind residents not to release goldfish, or other domesticated fish, into stormwater ponds or natural waterways as they can disrupt local ecosystems.”
Bailey says there are rumours someone put the fish in the stormwater pond.
“We walk our dog here every day so the smell; yah, it’s obvious. But it’s nice to see them cleaning up; it obviously needs to be done.”
Celebration Pond - Fish Retrieval
— Riley Brockington (@RiverWardRiley) March 25, 2025
City staff visited the pond today, confirming several thousand dead goldfish.
Staff collected about 1500 dead goldfish from the pond & will continue with retrieval, as ice conditions improve.
This situation has been reported to the MNRF.
