Releasing Pet Goldfish Into The Wild Can Harm Some Of The Native or Naturalized Fishes, Expert Warns

The act of dumping unwanted goldfish into a local pond is on the increase.

But expert has warned that releasing your pet goldfish into the wild could eventually have a negative impact on other local fish because “they outcompete some of your native or naturalized fishes for resources”.

They can also grow bigger and contribute to poor water quality by mucking up the bottom sediments and uprooting plants.

The warning became necessary following the discovery of thousands of goldfish in local lakes by researchers years ago.

The problem has cropped up in Boulder, Colorado, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and most recently Minnesota, where a man caught an almost 4-pound goldfish during a fishing tournament in Fairfax County.

According to the chief of fisheries for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Mike Bednarski, “There are a few areas in the state where they’ve become established and have become quite abundant, and the Potomac River is one of those bodies of water”.

Bednarski said the biggest populations of goldfish can be found in rivers, lakes and creeks that connect to the Potomac.

The populations of this type of exotic pet, which should only be in aquariums, are a result of people making a bad decision when looking to move away from owning an aquarium.

“Folks will take their goldfish when they’re tired of them, they either get a little big for the tank or they’ve had it for a while, and they’ll release it into the environment thinking they’re doing a good thing,” Bednarski said.

“These goldfish can outcompete some of your native or naturalized fishes for resources, and that’s really not a good thing.”

For many aquarium fish, being dropped in a lake is also a death sentence, since their bright colors make them quick prey.

While Virginia isn’t seeing negative impacts of the fish on other species yet, other states like Minnesota are struggling to get a handle on populations of the aquarium fish in state waterways.

Bednarski said the problem is that it’s hard to predict the impact populations of fish — like goldfish — could have on Virginia’s waterways until it is too late.

The record-breaking goldfish caught in the tournament was captured by a bow fisherman in Hunting Creek in Fairfax County, which flows into the Potomac. Bednarski said bow fishing is helping to keep populations down in state waters.

In Virginia, Bednarski said it is illegal for pet owners to release their aquarium fish into the wild.

How To Get Rid of Unwanted Pet Fish

Bednarski has recommended two ways of getting rid of unwanted pet fish. They include:

1. Finding someone else to adopt the pet fish, or contacting a local aquarium club that could help in finding willing takers for fish.
2.  Euthanizing them in a freezer.

Bednarski said when it comes to fish that are negatively impacting the ecosystem in Virginia, the biggest problems are the Snakehead and Alabama Bass.

In many cases, Bednarski said, fisherman are intentionally bringing these two types of fish to the state and releasing them in hopes of fishing for them in the future.

Goldfish reintroduced to the environment are considered an invasive species, an organism that is not indigenous, or native, to a particular area that can cause great economic and environmental harm.

Goldfish are speedy reproducers that can fish live up to 25 years, and are a real pain to remove, according to Carver County officials.