FIVE THINGS ABOUT FOOTBALL -SIZED GOLDFISH
1 FROM PET TO PEST
The invasion begins innocently enough: A goldfish paddles the secluded waters of an at-home
aquarium, minding its own business, disturbing no native
habitats. The real trouble comes later, when the human
who put it there decides it's time for a change. Not wanting to hurt the fish, but not wanting to keep it either, the pet's owner decides to release it into a local lake, pond or waterway.
That decision, experts say, is well-meaning but misguided —
and potentially harmful.
2 BIG WARNING SIGN
Officials in Burnsville, a city about 24 kilometres south of
Minneapolis, demonstrated why late last week, when they shared photographs of several massive goldfish that were recovered from a local lake. The
discarded pets can swell and wreak havoc, the city warned. “Please don't release your pet goldfish into ponds and lakes!”
the city wrote in a Twitter post, which had been liked and retweeted more than 15,000
times Sunday night.
3 `THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL'
Burnsville, along with neighbouring Apple Valley, began surveying the lake's goldfish population after residents
complained of a possible infestation. Working with the
company Carp Solutions, which specializes in controlling
water pests, the cities sent a team to investigate, and even it was surprised by the size of the fish it found. “You see goldfish
in the store and they're these small little fish,” Caleb Ashling,
Burnsville's natural resources specialist, said in an interview.
“When you pull a goldfish about the size of a football out of the lake, it makes you wonder how this can even be the
same type of animal.”
4 INVASIVE SPECIES
Far from being an innocuous domestic animal, a goldfish
freed in fresh water is an invasive species, an organism that is introduced to an
environment, can quickly reproduce, out-compete native species and destroy a habitat. And even though they get less
attention than invasive organisms such as Asian carp or zebra mussels, goldfish
appear to be a growing problem in bodies of water
around the world.
5 TOUGH CUSTOMERS
Goldfish can live to be 25 years old, weigh as much as four pounds and measure well over a foot long. They're also
surprisingly resilient: They can survive in severe conditions and can weather winters
in bodies of water that have frozen over, living for months
without oxygen.