A raccoon

I agree, a raccoon.
Do you feed the birds close to your pond. If so, get rid of that, since they are attracted to the birdseed.
I know this doesn't look nice, but you probably need to put a fence around your pond.........or maybe a low electric fence.

How deep is your pond? Do you have some sort of shelf around the top? Try to move your plants to the inside of the pond and get rid of anything it can sit on, on the ledge.
I feel your pain. Coons can be a real challenge.

Definitely a raccoon. It is amazing what they can get up to. They don't always eat the fish but they like to watch them flop on the ground. It is great entertainment for them. They like to dig in the pots for tender roots. If they are out of temper, they will get into fights that don't last long but can get messy what with knocking everything over. The little darlings who come to my yard like to use the top of the Skippy for baths in hot weather so they remove whatever is in the way. One summer they used the roof of the house to jump into the pond. We are still cutting trees and large shrubs to limit access to the roof. They make a game of pushing pots into the water. Any sort of food is fair game, especially dog or cat food and bird seed. I have to reset the hook hangers frequently, and only metal feeders are strong enough to keep them from destroying them. The feeders still get lots of dents.

The only way I have been able to discourage them is to spray them with a strong shot of water from the hose or a water cannon. They don't like being poked by my cane when they are getting too frisky or pushy but sometimes they grab on to it. Good luck.

Can you use a water scarecrow? I've heard they are pretty effective.

Sandy......were you the person who had a dead coon show up on your porch? Its been awhile, so I may have the story confused.
Yes, they are definitely formidable .........ah, well, I hate to say enemies......they're just formidable/intelligent/persistent and irritating as heck!

Yep, that was me. We never were able to figure out where it came from since there was evidently no human involved. (no footprints in the snow) It appeared to have been a natural death since there were no lethal injuries and it was mummified. It certainly didn't show up on it's own.

Maybe we could refer to them as competitors or the opposing team?

No, I don't feed the birds

I can't think of a way to make a netting look tolerable

The pond is 30" high

I've tried lowering the water depth (see attached) but they still get to it

Here is a link that might be useful: pond

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Its a very nice raised pond!
I know you don't want it to look bad, but I guess it comes down to the choice of if you want a pond or not.
Is there that small stone around the entire pond? You could put a line of electric wire there and put it on a timer, so it only comes on at night. They have solar powered ones.

The ledge, although great for humans to sit and enjoy the pond, really gives the coons a foothold. I find it strange that they are actually getting into the pond......even when the water was deeper.

Could you rig up a motion spot light that would come on when they came around? How about leaving a couple transistor radios close to the pond, tuned to a night talk station?

Your suggestion of not having trap door snails for awhile might be an option, and hopefully the coons would find food elsewhere.
Do you neighbors have coon problems too?
Is there anything along the ledge that they can step down on in the pond?
Dealing with coons can be so frustrating.

Great suggestions.

My neighbors don't have ponds.

There is no ledge for them to step on, it is a steep drop on the sides.

Yes there are small stones all around the pond. I'd never thought of an electric wire, but after googling, it seems a bit too pricey - $249 This one looks nice, though. http://www.sureguard.com.au/cattle_electric_fence.html#model_M2

The radio is a cheap option.

I might also try the detection light.

http://www.gardenguides.com/112579-rid-garden-raccoons.html

By the way, I hope it is not a skunk?? Those critters are not afraid at all. I've shone a flashlight at them and they ignore it.

Try some of the farm and garden supply or hardware stores around you for the electric fence. I don't know where you are located so I can't get more specific. Tractor supply here has setups for as little as $60. Cost depends on features and the size of the space you want to cover.

If you have good water pressure the Scarecrow water cannon is a good option. I have one and even though our water pressure is not particularly high it has worked very well for most critters. The skunk is not a probable culprit. It wouldn't be able to get out of your pond. A large raccoon is still the most likely suspect.

At big box stores, they sell something called something like "Fido Fence". Its just about everything you need, and doesn't cost that much. check it out.
I'm not real familiar with skunks, but I don't think they like the water that much, do they?
I'm thinking an electric wire at about 12" in that little stone area you have would solve your problem.

In the time being, try to put all your plants in the very center of your pond. Seems like they are reaching the plants from the edge and pulling them towards them.

While a skunk might drink from the pond there is no way he would cause the problem you described. It is a raccoon.

A raccoon would not be deterred by the steep sides up or down to that pond. They will climb right on in. They make a real mess looking for food.

A friend lives in a four story apartment and they get into his pond on his balcony.

I have a Fi-shock fence around my fish pond, cost about fifty bucks at Petco.

I have copper and chicken wire covers on four of my other ponds with no fish where they were ripping up my waterlilies.

I've pretty much given up on container ponds. Sick to death of fighting with the raccoons.

Hmmmm.....I always thought they wouldn't go in if there wasn't a marginal ledge. Bummer.

If it is six feet deep they might not but none of my front ponds have ledges and they went right in.

Until we started covering them. Which is ugly but we've gotten used to it and it doesn't stop the treefrogs. We uncover during the day all summer for the waterlilies to bloom and the dragonflies too they are confused by the covers.

Lowering the water level won't deter a raccoon...it makes it easier for them. And easier to catch your fish.