Giant Gold Fish Pulled From Minnesota Lake, Residents Asked To Stop Dumping Pet Fish
A massive goldfish was pulled from Keller Lake in Burnsville and is an example of just how big they can get when dumped into the wild. It really seems hard to believe that such a tiny fish that most people would keep in a bowl could ever get this big but these fish are obviously very resilient and grow to the size of their environment.
KARE 11 reports that according to The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources goldfish are considered an invasive species. You are allowed to buy, sell and transport them but you can't release them in public waters. Releasing these fish into lakes and ponds alters the eco system and as you can see these fish mutate into a massive version of themselves.
The city of Burnsville tweeted pictures of the fish with a plea to to the general public to stop dumping unwanted pet fish into lakes.
Because goldfish are part of the minnow family they can work their way through city ponds, rivers and streams and can reproduce rapidly which can cause a major headache for agencies trying to maintain these water ways and trying to remove them.
The DNR recommends if you no longer want to keep your pet fish you should try and contact a vet or pet retailer to ask how you can humanely dispose of the fish. I remember as a kid when I first got a goldfish before moving onto an aquarium with tropical fish, my goldfish that I got would not last very long. So, hopefully anyone that has a pet goldfish sees what happens when they are released into a lake or pond and will think twice from now on before tossing them into the wild.