CuriosiD Extra: Belle Isle has long history of hosting koi

In the latest episode of CuriosiD, WDET’s Russ McNamara examined why so many fire stations in Detroit have koi ponds. Now he’s taking a closer look at the koi pond on Belle Isle – or at least trying to. 

The pond sits between the aquarium and the conservatory, and with some HVAC work going on, experts at the aquarium are worried about dust and debris getting into the water. 

Paul Shuert, curator of the Belle Isle Aquarium, said the main danger of debris comes from the koi’s eating habits.  

“They eat just about anything, they’ll graze on leaves that fall in into the pond, stuff that grows in the bottom,” Shuert said.  

For now, the koi are stored in the basement of the aquarium. Shuert added that the koi have been on the island and were once housed at the now-defunct zoo. 

“They were even on the island when the aquarium was closed for seven years,” Shuert said.  “They were still here and cared for.” 

Weathering the seasons

There was a time when the koi did not live in the pond year-round as they do now, according to Shuert. In October, he said people would help bring the fish to the basement to keep them safe during the winter because they weren’t sure it would stay filled with water.  

“Once we got the pond fixed, we stopped bringing them in because we didn’t want to handle them. It’s not good to handle fish anytime,” Shuert said. 

The annual moving of the fish became a tradition known as the Koi Festival, and Shuert said each fish had to be caught one at a time. 

“We drain the pond, so we get down to maybe six inches of water, where we can chase them, and we scoop them up one at a time until we get all the water out and all the fish out,” Shuert said. 

During winter, Shuert said the koi go into “almost a hibernation stage” where they shut down their metabolism and wait out the cold weather. 

“When the water gets about 50 degrees, they become active again. And then we start feeding them, and they just love it out there all summer long,” Shuert said.  

Looking forward to a homecoming

However, the koi will spend this summer in the basement due to new air conditioning being installed in the aquarium. Meagan Elliot, president and CEO of the Belle Isle Conservancy said the project costs $10 million and will be the first major update to the aquarium in 75 years. 

“These are beloved assets, but they are over 120 years old, and take a lot of care and particular detail when it comes to their restoration,” Elliot said.  

As for the koi, Elliot said they will be returned to their home in the pond before the end of this year. 

“We’d like to do some sort of a celebration,” Elliot said, “kind of similar to the historic Koi Festival that celebrates returning the koi back to the pond.”