Zoo devises ‘grizzly’ solution to invasive goldfish scourge

Zookeepers have proposed a real “grizzly” solution to controlling giant invasive goldfish.

For years, pet goldfish released into US waterways have been wreaking havoc by ballooning to gargantuan sizes and outcompeting native species.

Enterprising Minnesota zoo officials have devised an unorthodox way to help with the scourge — feeding the shiny fin-terlopers to hungry zoo animals.

“Early results are promising,” Kelly Kappen, a nutritionist at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley where the bold new conservation initiative is being trialed, told Jam Press.

The goldfish plague has reportedly run rampant across Minnesota water bodies such as Lake Cornelia, which has been invaded by thousands of goldfish discarded by careless pet owners.

This illicit practice, known as illegal “fish stocking,” is problematic as the invaders — which can grow to four pounds when released into the wild — upset the natural ecosystem by stealing resources from local fish, uprooting plants, and even spreading disease, NPR reported.

“Goldfish, originally discarded by pet owners, have become a prolific problem in Lake Cornelia, becoming more abundant than other native species in the lake,” said the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District. “Not only are their numbers blooming, but they stir up the bottom of the lake, releasing phosphorus that fuels algae blooms and clouds the water.”

And while conservationists have managed to remove the gilded critters — a feat in and of itself — they often end up in landfills or compost sites, which is far from ideal.

But thanks to a new partnership between Nine Mile Creek and the Minnesota Zoo, harvested fish — including goldfish from Lake Cornelia and carp from Minnesota rivers — could be used to feed the wildlife sanctuaries residents. One person’s trash is another’s entree so to speak.

“We are working with a limited number of partners to ensure safe food handling, and inclusion in animal diets is carefully evaluated as part of a well-balanced and individualized diet plan,” said Kappen. “Many animals are suspicious of new foods, so repeated introductions are often necessary for these new options to be consumed.”

She added, “So far, brown bears are loving the carp, sea lions are tentatively enjoying the goldfish, and river otters have sampled both goldfish and rusty crayfish. We’re still learning what works best.”

In light of this promising carp-accio program, the zoo hopes to expand the campaign as part of “their ongoing commitment to animal wellness and environmental stewardship,” she said.

Of course, Minnesota isn’t the only state that could perhaps benefit from the unconventional goldfish disposal measure.

The problem has also reared its spangly orange head in Colorado, Nevada, and recently, Pennsylvania, where officials with the US Fish and Wildlife Service hauled a massive “megalodon” goldfish from a pond in Erie.

Authorities speculated that the specimen could’ve been swimming with the fishes for up to two years.

“Someone released it, thinking they were being kind,” the officials declared. “Instead, they created an invasive problem that can last decades.”