Gigantic goldfish, like this one held by University of Nevada-Reno researcher Christine Ngai, have been found in the waters of Lake Tahoe.
Image: Heather Segale
A new kind of lake monster has been found, in the depths of Lake Tahoe: gigantic goldfish. Researchers trawling the lake for invasive fish species scooped up a goldfish that was nearly 1.5 feet long and 4.2 pounds.
"During these surveys, we've found a nice corner where there's about 15 other goldfish," environmental scientist Sudeep Chandra of the University of Nevada, Reno, told LiveScience. "It's an indication that they were schooling and spawning." The arrival of the fish, which were probably dumped there by aquarium owners, has Chandra worried — goldfish are an invasive species that could interfere with Lake Tahoe's ecosystem.
It's unclear whether the giant fish were introduced as fully grown adults, or while they were still small, Chandra said. But even a small creature can have a big impact, if there are enough of them.
The goldfish are just one of several species of invasive warm-water fishes in Lake Tahoe. "The invasion is resulting in the consumption of native species," Chandra said. What's more, the invasive fish excrete nutrients that cause algal blooms, which threaten to muddy Tahoe's clear waters. [Photos: Giant Goldfish & Other Freaky Fish]
Fish out of water
Aquarium dumping has become a common practice in the United States and elsewhere, and it's taking a toll on native wildlife. A recent reporton California's aquarium trade found that fish owners and importers are introducing hardy, nonnative aquatic species to California waters. "Globally, the aquarium trade has contributed a third of the world's worst aquatic and invasive species," Williams, who was lead author of the report, told OurAmazingPlanet, a sister site of LiveScience, in January.
While the exact number of aquarium owners dumping fish is unknown, scientists know the practice is occurring because these species could not have ended up in these waters naturally. Between 20 percent and 69 percent of fish keepers surveyed in Texas admitted to dumping, according to Williams.
Other ways that invasive species find their way into natural ecosystems include aquaculture, live seafood, live bait, and fishing and recreation vessels. More than 11 million nonnative marine organisms representing at least 102 species arrive at ports in San Francisco and Los Angeles alone, Williams has found.
The invaders include tropical fish, seaweed and snails. One of the nastiest is a deadly type of seaweed known as Caulerpa. A type of algae that produces toxic compounds that kill off fish, Caulerpa was eradicated in 2000 (at great expense) from lagoons in Southern California.
Aquarium owners should be more careful when disposing of unwanted fish and other animals, Williams cautioned. "It's pretty simple: Don't dump your fish," she said. Instead, she suggests calling the pet shop that sold the fish or your state department of fish and wildlife. (Euthanasia is another option, but simply flushing fish down the toilet can be problematic — for the fish and for your plumbing.)
So why do people dump fish? Studies of dumping have shown that size and aggressiveness of the fish are two main factors, Williams said.
The largest pet goldfish, according to the BBC, was a fish named Goldie that was 15 inches (38 cm) long and weighed more than 2 pounds (0.9 kg).
- That's Odd! The 10 Weirdest Animal Discoveries
- In Photos: Spooky Deep-Sea Creatures
- (OAP) Alien Invaders: Destructive Invasive Species
See what we're tweeting about
15 Comments
Add CommentIt's a carp. And it's not even a very large carp.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this...never feed him too much, never more than a spot, or something may happen, you never know what. Go Otto!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI lived in the Tahoe basin for a few years and tried fishing quite often. As few fish as I caught I would have been happy to catch a goldfish that big. The real threat to Tahoe is the humans who have invaded the entire basin, not their gold fish.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNo actually it is NOT a carp. Carp have flat bottoms, goldfish have more rounded bottoms. This is in fact, a goldfish and anyone involved in aquarium keeping knows they can get rather large. Goldfish yes, carp No.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"But even a small creature can have a big impact, if there are enough of them."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSounds like something Gandalf would tell Frodo...
It does look like a goldfish. However, I thought that goldfish begin to "thicken" once they hit about six to eight inches and resemble koi. Regardless, it is an interesting find. I am surprised that such a fish could withstand the cold temperatures at Lake Tahoe. I hope that they can quickly eradicate such an invasive species.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGold fish are not tropical and can live in colder water.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBut what do they taste like? :-D
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCarp.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou have to cook carp over a garbage can fire to really do it proper.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisany carp that I have tried have always been very bland and need loads of salt.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are heaps of tastier fish to be found.
Goldfish poop so much that perhaps we can harness them as our next biofuel ;)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthis is something that has been going on for a long time. Back in the late '60s in a city park in Youngstown, they drained the ice skating pond to make some repairs to the dam. There was a goldfish about the same size (as pictured in the article) in that pond. I've never dumped live fish. Right now I do not have my aquarium running, but when I start it again, I plan on getting local, native fish.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf you want to see exotic fish, visit your local Aquarium. Enjoy.
I have seen larger goldfish, in the reflecting pool, in the Scarborough, ON Civic Centre
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn the late 60s I used to like to warch the huge goldfish in the Charles River from Harvard Bridge. They tended to turn white as they got bigger. Then there are the Charles River whitefish, but we don't talk much about them in polite company.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this