Huge fish have been discovered in Barshaw Park pond as works continue to clean up the water.
A viral video has been posted online by Buddie TikTok creator Jamie Kinlochan showing a council worker decanting a large fish into a makeshift pond at the busy park while the main body of water is being drained away.
Renfrewshire Council has been on site for a number of weeks as part of major works to clean up the water.
A significant operation to remove silt from the pond and remove invasive weed species is currently underway, with fencing blocking off the entire pond and security camera machines set up round the perimeter.
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The council has also enlisted the help of fish specialists as workers have pulled carp, perch, pike and swan mussels from the water.
Paisley man Jamie Kinlochan has been following the works, which he has dubbed as #PondTok on the social media app.
His commentary has sparked interest from millions of people, with his original conspiracy theory about fish in the pond being at the centre of a ‘black market’ carp fishing operation racking up 5.5million views.
The 35-year-old said in his video that carp breeders might have dumped the fish in the pond so they can multiply and grow before fishing them out to sell for thousands of pounds.
Now in one of his most recent videos on the social media site, which has racked up more than half a million views already, shows workers collecting the fish from the almost drained water.
In the video, he says: “I told you that here in Barshaw Park in Paisley was about to be drained and that a black market of putting carp in local ponds to fatten them up and sell them on for money was something that was happening.
“People disputed it and they called it a conspiracy theory and once the pond plug had been pulled and unblocked we got to find out first of all what might have been under the watchful eye of the security droids.
“The pond was empty enough for the fishing to begin to put paid to this theory that this pond was full of fish that people had been putting in.
“A team were wading around in the cold water from 6am bringing the nets slowly towards fish, using the net technique of grabbing what was in there and moving it to a pond that was on standby.
“We know that these species of fish are not put in by the council.
“In total there could have been anywhere from 25 to 40 fish in this park.
“What we do not know is whether these are people outside the park waiting on these fish or whether they have been put in there to be fattened up”
A Renfrewshire Council spokesman confirmed fish had been found in the pond and would be returned once the work was complete.
The spokesman added: “We are currently carrying out works to clean the pond within Barshaw Park of silt which has gathered over a number of years, as well as removing some invasive weed species to protect the health of the pond.
“It is being drained and we have a fishing specialist on site to assist in keeping fish safe in a bunded area while the work takes place.
“Fencing and security is in place for the duration of the works for safety reasons while the pond remains a working environment.”
The council came under fire the last time the work was carried out in 2017, with concerned residents making complaints to the SSPCA about fish being left to “flounder” in the water after it was partially drained.
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