There was a colorful celebration at Portland's Japanese Garden Sunday.
Twenty-three new koi fish were released one by one into the water below Heavenly Falls.
It's part of a major fund-raising campaign to bring the fish back to the gardens after a winter storm devastated the population in 2009.
The coolest part? Donors who gave money named the fish.
"For a donation to the Japanese Garden, you can name the koi the name of your choice so we have everything from Big Daddy to Mergatroid in the ponds," said Steve Bloom, CEO of the Portland Japanese Garden. He added, "We've got another 20 koi coming next year that we'll release into the ponds, so twenty new naming opportunities. If someone wants to name a koi for themselves or their child or a family member, it's a great way to recognize someone."
The minimum donation is $1500 and the money goes toward sustaining the koi, keeping them healthy and the ponds systems.
Bloom said most of the fish came from Hawaii and some came from a koi dealer in Portland.
They were born in Japan, raised in Hawaii and will now live here in Portland.
