Baby koi on the menu for garden predators

There’s something fishy going on at the Japanese Friendship Garden at San Jose’s Kelley Park. Namely, it’s not easy being a baby koi in the beautiful surroundings these days.

The garden has several koi ponds, but the massive Coyote Creek floods that devastated the park in 2017 has led to all the koi being kept in one large pond while the others are restored and a new filtration system installed. That hasn’t been the ideal situation for the young koi, who now have less room to hide and have been snatched up like goldfish crackers by predatory birds over the years.

San Jose Parks Foundation Executive Director James Reber says the solution may be to install an isolation tank, where the young fish can be protected until they’re bigger and aren’t quite a target. The foundation has established a fund to cover the costs of the baby koi tank, as well as other expenses, including maintaining portable filtration systems the foundation purchased, assisting with regular pond maintenance and helping to cover the cost of koi food. If you’re interested in helping out, there’s a donation link at sanjoseparks.org.

Reber added that San Jose City Councilmember Maya Esparza, whose district includes Kelley Park, has helped fund the garden’s restoration through her office budget — and even had a staff member create a “Baby Koi” graphic with a cartoon fish wearing a diaper. It’s no Baby Yoda, but it’s pretty cute.

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The six people, who are charged with engaging residents in finding their own creative voice, are Stephanie Bajaras, a Mexican actor and photographer who recently joined the team at Art Builds Community, a women-led public art planning and consulting firm; digital media artist Ricardo Cortez, who is creating a