A staggering number of invasive goldfish have been removed from a city pond in British Columbia, Canada. While the environmental action is a step forward for the local ecosystem, the removal showcases the devastating impact of the household pets on non-native environments.
Victoria Now reported that the invasive goldfish were removed from Erickson Stormwater Pond over a two-week period in October. Workers drew down the pond to capture the goldfish during the intensive operation, conserving native salamanders, newts, and other native wildlife. Workers captured 1,746 goldfish in total, many of which were much larger than your standard aquatic pet.
"The number and size of the goldfish that had to be removed really shows why this species is such a challenge when released to nature," Campbell River utilities operations manager Steve Roehr said. "They multiply quickly and grow to be big — and that edges out native species."
Officials reported that all captured goldfish had to be euthanized, and it's anticipated that a follow-up remediation will be needed to make sure the goldfish were completely removed.
According to the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia, goldfish are the most widespread invasive fish in North America. Their presence in wildlife environments is mostly due to people releasing pets into the wild and those pet fish quickly multiplying. Goldfish are only native to eastern Asia, though most pet store goldfish are unsuitable for any wildlife environment.
The town of Sylvan Lake in neighboring Alberta also recently eradicated invasive goldfish from its city pond, removing almost 500 fish.
"This should solve the problem, but it's so easy to get back in this situation if people continue to release their goldfish into this pond," Sylvan Lake mayor Megan Hanson said of the effort in a press release. "They multiply so quickly. They grow quite large, and have no known predators."
As Victoria Now explained, invasive goldfish can harm the environment by reducing water clarity, which in turn lowers the amount of sunlight that can reach underwater plants. This causes devastating habitat loss for native aquatic species. Native species are also forced to compete with goldfish for food and other resources, upsetting the entire ecosystem.
"Goldfish are — simply put — not for the wild," Roehr said in a release.
But the city isn't stopping at removing the goldfish. Campbell River — along with local wildlife organizations — has launched the Not for the Wild campaign to educate on the risks and costs of releasing invasive species into the local environment.
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