It's time to scoop up a fish from its home in the koi pond at Belle Isle. Walk along the path, down the uneven stairs leading into the aquarium's basement and dump your fish into the holding tank. This is the place where the koi will winter. This Detroit tradition is known as 'The Koi Transfer.'
The transfer happens twice a year, once in the fall and then again in the spring. In November, the brightly colored fish are brought into the basement under the aquarium for safekeeping during those cold winter months we all know and love. In May, the koi are scooped up from their home away from home and are transported back into their pristine pond where they can swim with reckless abandon once again.
Here's how it goes down: