Please stop releasing pet goldfish into the wild
We’ve already told you to consider eating more marsh rodents for the sake of the environment. Now, we’re begging you to stop releasing pet goldfish into local waterways. The seemingly benign and tiny household pets can grow to gargantuan sizes, like the ones the United States Fish & Wildlife found during a recent survey of Presque Isle on Lake Erie. “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 wrote on Facebook. When released into the wild, goldfish can harm the water quality in only two years. They can uproot plants, contribute to harmful algal blooms, and eat vegetation in environmentally and economically sensitive regions like the Great Lakes. “Many of the reasons that make goldfish invasive upon release are the same reasons that they make great pets and pet trade species,” Sara Ricklefs,...