Goldfish dumped by Coquitlam pet owners become invasive species
City says goldfish just one of several invasive species breeding in local lakes where they were dumped
CBC News Posted: Aug 15, 2014 9:01 PM PT Last Updated: Aug 16, 2014 9:34 AM PT
Goldfish are breeding and proliferating in Como Lake leading the city to warn people against throwing them into local waterways. (CBC)
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They're easy to take care of, inexpensive and entertaining, but goldfish and other aquatic pets including exotic fish, turtles, bass and carp are getting into local waterways and breeding and competing with native species.
In Coquitlam, so many goldfish are winding up in Como Lake that the city is cracking down with hefty fines ranging from $2,500 to $250,000.
David Scott, from Simon Fraser University's School of Resource and Environmental Management, said there's good cause for concern.
Dozens of goldfish dot the surface of the water in Como Lake while many more swim below. (CBC)
"If you have non-native species that become established in let's say the Fraser River, they would be competing and influencing dozens of local species that we have here including salmon which are economically important," he said.
In 2012, the infamous snakehead fish eluded conservation officers for weeks. Scott was one of the SFU researchers who studied it.
People may think they're freeing a captive pet by throwing it into a local pond, he said. But the act can have bigger implications than most people realize, Scott warned.
So what do you do, if you don't want your pet fish or turtle anymore? Many pet stores say they'll take them back.
With files from the CBC's Farah Merali
Goldfish dumped by Coquitlam pet owners become invasive species
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