A pond in Ottawa has been overtaken by goldfish.
A stormwater pond in Ottawa’s Central Park neighborhood is filled with around 1,000 invasive goldfish, despite the fact that around 5,000 of these fish were found dead there just eight months ago.
Reporting by CTV News found that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has been granted a permit to remove and euthanize the goldfish, which is a requirement under provincial regulations.
“This is standard practice to prevent the further spread of invasive species,” Ryan Polkinghorne, program manager of Stormwater Management and Environmental Monitoring, commented per CTV News.
Councillor Riley Brockington took to social media to share that, “The origin of the fish remain[s] a mystery.”
But it’s no mystery that invasive species take resources from native species and wreak havoc on ecosystems.
Goldfish are frequently kept as pets, but they are not native to North America and don’t have any natural predators. When they end up in the wild, they can grow up to the size of a football, according to the Invasive Species Centre.
Because goldfish eat by nibbling pebbles and spitting them out, the disruption of the pond bed lessens the clarity of the water. This prevents sunlight from reaching underwater plants, stops them from photosynthesizing, and negatively impacts the oxygen level for every aquatic species.
This oxygen level issue is likely why so many fish were found dead earlier this year.
By removing the goldfish, it is hoped that ecological balance will be restored, and native species will be allowed to flourish. The good news is that this removal will be done by catching the fish with nets, and not draining the pond or using chemical treatments, which would harm the pond life even further.
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Elsewhere, invasive species of fish have been kept in check by introducing predators into the area. Some officials have even pushed for invasive fish dishes to become more popular to keep population numbers down.
“The city reminds residents not to release goldfish, or any other fish, into stormwater ponds or natural waterways,” Polkinghorne remarked per CTV News. “Doing so can disrupt local ecosystems.”
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