A city in the United States has asked residents not to leave pet goldfish in public waters after several giant goldfish were found in a lake.
The city of Burnsville, Minnesota, used the social network Twitter to bring people’s attention to the problem of abandoned goldfish in Keller Lake. Please do not leave your pet goldfish in lakes or ponds.
The warning from Burnsville authorities further revealed that “fish grow much more than people think and contribute to poor water quality by cleaning sediment from lake beds and uprooting vegetation.”
Please do not release your pet goldfish into ponds and lakes! They grow larger than you think and contribute to poor water quality by removing bottom sediments and uprooting vegetation.
Clusters of these large goldfish have recently been found in Keller Lake. pic.twitter.com/Zmya2Ql1E2BurnsvilleMN July 9, 2021
The city’s post on the social network Twitter also contained a set of photographs of the fish found in Keeler Lake, revealing the enormous dimensions of the fish, which are usually five centimeters when placed inside a home aquarium.
According to wildlife authorities, when pet goldfish are abandoned in public waters, the animals tend to grow larger and reproduce more quickly, eventually dominating the native species.
In Minnesota, it is illegal to abandon this type of fish in public waters due to a poor marine environment, so Burnsville authorities have advised residents to “consider other options to find a new home for these animals.”
Also in another part of Minnesota, 50,000 goldfish were taken from a stream in October last year to study species that cause ecological problems.
Germany also reported in 2017 that schools of goldfish were stealing food from other marine animals that live in lakes and ponds. According to the BBC, the Munich city council has threatened to fine people caught leaving their pets in public waters.
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