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Re: Spread of goldfish


In a message dated 3/19/02 5:28:30 PM, FRIELSTER@aol.com writes:

<< James,
I concur with your conclusion about fishermen vs. ponds in the spread of 
goldfish.  Most garden water features are self-contained entities surrounded 
by hardscape, with no connection to actual streams.  I'm sure some goldfish 
leap out, or are flushed out in heavy rains; but most such escapees probably 
die on the brick patio or in the claws of a lucky cat long before they have 
the opportunity of molesting frog fry in some nearby creek.

JF >>

You may be interested in some of the ways fish can be transported, quite 
aside from the issue of whether anglers or aquarists or gardeners are more, 
or less, to blame:

Hi Sally,

I am a fish biologist so I'll give you my 2 cents worth. In general, 
well-meaning and

naive folk have helped to create a real ecological catastrophe in this

country and elsewhere by stocking non-native species of fish. Goldfish

(Carassius auratus) are not actually carp (Cyprinus carpio), though they are

closely related and they have a similar propensity to thrive when introduced

into the wild. I would definitely not advocate use of goldfish or any other

non-native fish species in any water body that has any likelihood of

connecting (via flood or accident) to natural water systems. Further, such

stocking might actually be prohibited by state law. Some states have been

slow to recognize the insidious nature of non-native fish stocking, but most

are coming around. The USGS has a nice webpage about nonnative fish that

might be interesting to you http://nas.er.usgs.gov/. I hope this has been

helpful and happy gardening!
--------------
In Britain the Institute of Freshwater Ecology reports that streams and ponds 
are being choked by foreign plants sold through garden centres. One strain, 
Crassula helmsii, can double its biomass in eight days and form huge mats 
absorbing oxygen to the detriment of animal life. Dr Hugh Dawson - of the 
institute's station at Wareham, in Dorset, in the south west of England - 
states that unsuspecting private gardeners are mostly to blame. 
"They grow tired of a pond in their garden or regard it as a hazard for small 
children so they get rid of it," he explains. "They don't have the heart to 
kill the goldfish so they gather them up together with some of the vegetation 
and put them into a larger local pond on common land nearby and that is where 
the problem starts."
------
Hi Sally,
Goldfish are unfortunately on that list of critters that we are not likely to 
ever get
rid of, either in the pet trade or in our waterways. Hopefully they are not
doing too much damage to our native fishes and habitats. It is rather
unsettling to see two foot carp in the lakes around here though. Not to
mention red-eared sliders instead of painted turtles, bull frogs rather than
our native painted toads and red-legged frogs.

I have read some literature that conjectures different ways fish are moved
about naturally (both native and non-native) quite aside from the bowl
tipped into a stream or pond by aquarists. These include herons and other
fishing birds catching fish in one waterway, flying to another with it and
for whatever reason dropping it (as say, a heron flying off with it for
their young in the nest, but getting harrassed by a crow or seagull and
dropping it in transit), floods will occasionally do the same, especially
from artificial ponds with poorly constructed overflow controls. Some
catfish have even been documented hopping out of their home stream and
flopping overland from one river to the next. Please note that none of these
requires people to be present at all. Herons, pelicans and other fishing
birds have been observed dropping live fish. Its not much of a stretch to
believe that they could drop the fish far from the original body of water.
Floods can inundate large areas and consequently commingle the livestock in
far flung ponds and streams. There are probably more bizzare ways for fish to
move we haven't thought of or observed.

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