A gigantic goldfish was discovered in Northern California's Lake Tahoe. LivesScience reported that the goldfish is nearly 1.5 feet long and 4.2 pounds.
Environmental scientist Sudeep Chandra from the University of Nevada, Reno said to LiveScience, "During these surveys, we've found a nice corner where there's about 15 other goldfish."
Chandra added that number of fish is an indication that they are spawning and schooling. The fish were probably put in the water by aquarium owners and Chandra says they are concerned that the goldfish could interfere with the ecosystem of the lake.
Goldfish are an invasive species in Lake Tahoe and can result in the consumption of native species in the lake.
"We know that we have a giant goldfish, the question now becomes how long has it been there and how many others are there in the lake?" Chandra said to KCRA.
Dumping in lakes from aquariums has become a widespread problem and is increasingly endangering native species.
"Globally, the aquarium trade has contributed a third of the world's worst aquatic and invasive species," Sue Williams, an ecology professor at UC Davis said according to The Huffington Post.
Tim Bonner an assistant professor of biology at Texas State University said to Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine in 2006 that people often dump the fish in their aquarium because they don't want to kill them. "They may save the life of one fish, but in doing so they could wipe out a whole population of native fishes."
LiveScience reports that other ways invasive species such as these goldfish end up in lakes and rivers includes live seafood, live bait, aquaculture and fishing and recreational vessels.
"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," reports LiveScience.
Williams said to LiveScience that fish owners need to be more careful when they dispose of sea creatures they no longer want.
"It's pretty simple: Don't dump your fish," she said to LiveScience She suggests that owners who don't want their fish anymore should call the pet shop they bought the fish from or the state department of fish and wildlife.
Williams said two main factors that cause people to dump fish include that the fish is too big or aggressive. BBC reported the largest pet goldfish was 15 inches long and weighed more than 2 pounds.
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