Officials of the city of Burnsville, south of Minneapolis in Minnesota, implored the public not to release their pet goldfish into ponds and lakes.
"They grow bigger than you think and contribute to poor water quality by mucking up bottom sediments and uprooting plants," the officials tweeted on Jul 9, 2021. They also added a few photos of giant goldfish that were recently caught in Keller Lake.
According to Daryl Jacobson, natural resource manager for the city of Burnsville, people thought that the small goldfish in a home aquarium would remain that size in a lake. But they tend to match their environment and could grow much larger. "They are a tough species. They can survive under ice, with low oxygen and in unclear water," he added in an interview with USA Today.
By the way, the largest goldfish caught in the wild was a 9 lb (4 kg) goldfish caught in South Carolina in 2020.
Images: City of Burnsville