In Northern Michigan, the Glen Lake Association recently hired bowfishers to remove invasive koi fish from the lake — and not a moment too soon, as it turned out. Three of the four koi removed from the lake were pregnant, which means that the move to hire the bowfishers prevented a major proliferation of invasive species, MLive reported.
The Japanese koi fish were possibly former pets that had been released by irresponsible owners. They were easy to spot, as they were bright orange, unlike any of the native species that call Michigan's lakes home, according to the news outlet.
"I knew that getting more calls meant there are more fish in our lake and we had to start waging war," Rob Karner, watershed biologist for the association, told MLive. "So, we did."
The largest of the four koi caught by the bowfishers — a team from Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club — was 32 inches and 24.5 pounds, which MLive reported as a new world record for a Japanese koi harvested with a bow.
Unfortunately, this is far from the first instance of former pet koi fish ending up in a lake where they were able to wreak havoc on the ecosystem.
The reason that Japanese koi are considered invasive (as the City of Savage Minnesota website explains) is that they are essentially too good at being fish. Koi are hardy, able to survive harsh winters, live a long time, grow to huge sizes, and eat a ton of food.
As a result, they are able to outcompete native species for resources, according to ZME Science, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem into which they are released. They are also known to dig into lake beds, uprooting plants.
People's life circumstances often change, sometimes suddenly, but it is still vital to never release a pet into the wild if you find that you can no longer care for it. If you ever find yourself with a koi fish that you can no longer take care of, you should make every effort to rehome the koi by either selling it, giving it away, or contacting a local koi rescue organization.
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