A small community in Nevada was stunned when massive invasive goldfish began to show up in a small pond.
The bright orange fish may be beloved as pets but they can be dangerous to the ecosystem if released.
The community association of Cadence in Henderson, about 16 miles south of downtown Las Vegas, is facing the consequences of the slimy creatures being released into the wild.
Cadence HOA announced that after the fish were dumped into the lake, they rapidly reproduced.
Without a tank limiting a goldfish’s size, they can quickly balloon to a football-sized fish.
The fish released in Cadence have repopulated and grown to be unrecognizable from the tiny pets that can fit in the palm of your hand.
They’ve also been disrupting the ecosystem, attracting birds like cormorants and ospreys that are not common in the area.
‘It’s the proverbial, ‘If you build it, they will come,” Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesperson Doug Nielsen told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
A community association in Henderson, Nevada has been faced with an invasive species outbreak after someone released a goldfish in a pond
Goldfish are not native to the US, so they can balloon in size and ruin the ecosystem if released into the wild
The goldfish outbreak in Cadence has attracted birds of prey like osprey (pictured)
Since the pond isn’t connected to any neighboring waterways, there are currently no fears of the goldfish moving to a larger body of water. But wildlife experts fear that their eggs could travel through the birds.
Nielsen told the Review-Journal that the predatory birds can pick up goldfish eggs and drop them in neighboring waterways.
Despite the potentially disastrous impacts on wildlife, the birds of prey that have migrated to the pond have created a spectacle for local bird watchers.
Michael Anderson, who lives near Cadence, told local Fox affiliate, KVVU-TV, that after he saw neighbors posting about seeing ospreys on social media, he ventured over to the pond to check it out.
‘I met a lot of friends out here, learned a lot about birds,’ he told the outlet.
‘I know they are not supposed to be there but I hope the HOA doesn’t take them out,’ Anderson added.
Sydney, a resident of Cadence, told KVVU that the fish have been in the pond since she moved in July.
The invasive goldfish have attracted more birds of prey, which excited local bird watchers but increased fears of an ecosystem imbalance
Despite the potential impacts on wildlife, Cadence residents said they enjoyed looking at the goldfish and the birds
She added that she feels like every time she passes the pond, she sees more invasive goldfish.
The Cadence HOA said a similar incident happened last spring, and although they were removed it seems like some fish were left behind and repopulated.
The HOA is working to ‘humanely relocate the goldfish’ and urges residents not to feed them.
Cheryl Gowan, the vice president of the Cadence HOA board told the Review Journal that there was no ‘quick fix’ for getting rid of the invasive species.
Gowan explained that the HOA didn’t want to drain the lake to prevent water waste, making it difficult to remove the fish.
The invasive species are native to eastern Asia including China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea.
Their populations can explode because of how fast they can reproduce and they become unrecognizable in the water.
Goldfish are also bottom feeders so they ruin the water quality by stirring up sediment and uprooting plants.
Goldfish can grow to the size of a football when they aren’t kept in a fishbowl
The US Fish and Wildlife Services warns against releasing goldfish into the wildlife, urging instead to return them to a local pet store or an aquarium
In 2013, a goldfish was released in Lake Tahoe, California, and ballooned to be several pounds and up to eight inches long.
Earlier this year, the US Fish and Wildlife Services found a ‘Megalodon’ goldfish that had lasted two years in Lake Erie, Pennsylvania.
‘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,’ the agency said.
FWS advises against setting goldfish free and recommends instead giving them away, returning them to a pet store, or donating them to a local aquarium.
