The goldfish aren’t supposed to live in the wild, and pretty risky things can happen when they’re released into ponds, lakes, and rivers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently warned about the dangers of releasing goldfish in the wild after a gigantic “megalodon” fish was found in Pennsylvania waters.
Goldfish are usually kept as pets, but some people may feel tempted to release them once they’re no longer able to take care of them. This may seem like the kindest thing to do, but it’s a huge no-no because goldfish are secretly an extremely invasive species that can cause harm to native fish when released in the wild.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) warned about the dangers of leaving a pet goldfish in the wild after a “megalodon” goldfish was found in a Presque Isle State Park waterway.
“This goldfish isn’t supposed to be here. But someone released it, thinking they were being kind. Instead, they created an invasive problem that can last decades. Goldfish grow massive in the wild, where they can turn lakes and waterways into murky messes, steal food from native fish, and wreck water quality,” reads USFWS’s Facebook post.
Instead of letting your goldfish loose if you can’t keep it, you should consider re-homing it, returning it to a pet store, or contacting local aquariums and rescue groups to check if they can take it in. Goldfish released in the wild grow and breed quickly, in addition to potentially spreading disease and disrupting water quality, making it harder for native populations to survive.
