Ministry of Environment staff will descent upon Burnaby's Central Park pond Friday to remove "all non-native species" as the next stage in capturing the elusive 'Frankenfish,' whose existence has only been proven through video so far.

The search for the northern snakehead, an invasive species that gobbles up native fish and small mammals, has captured headlines for the past weeks, as experts fear it could escape the park pond and reproduce quickly.

Nets will be used Friday to draw out the invasive creatures. Some will be taken to study, while others will be destroyed.

"The City of Burnaby hopes to restock the pond afterwards with native species, so they have asked the team to assess what they find from the pond and remove any non-native species as they feel is warranted," said a ministry spokesman.

A sample of species in the pond taken May 23 found goldfish, carp, fathead minnows, bullheads, bullfrog tadpoles and turtles - all non-native species.

Meanwhile city officials will use a filtered outflow pipe to remove "two to three feet" of water from the pond Wednesday and Thursday to prepare for the province's search.