Don't Release That Fish

Unfortunately, each year a number of exotic fishes are released into the wild.

Maybe the hobbyist is moving and can’t take their aquarium, or maybe their lifestyle has changed and they are too busy to devote the same level of care that they started with. Maybe they lose interest in the fish, or maybe the fish has outgrown the aquarium.

Whatever the reason may be - releasing exotic fish into your local waters is a terrible idea. Your released fish will be stressed upon introduction to a new environment and will be susceptible to parasites and diseases. If they are small fish, they may be attacked by native predators such as bigger fish, birds, frogs, snakes, etc.

If your fish survives – it creates an entirely NEW set of problems.

Unless the fish you release into the lake is native to that locale, it is considered an invasive species. These invasive species are very difficult, or even impossible to get rid of.

They can cause changes in the environment by competing for available food, predation on native species, and other aggressive behavior. Exotic fish can also introduce parasites and diseases to the native fish population which can wreak havoc since they have not been exposed to them before and they have no natural resistance.

One example of this problem here in the United States is the goldfish - a native of China. Because it is a temperate fish, it is established all over the country here. Tropical fish are problems in the warmer states here because they tend to die off when the weather turns colder, but places like Florida, Texas, Arizona, and other warm locales have a real problem with invasive fish species.

Because of this, it is actually illegal in the USA to release a tropical fish into your local lake or stream. I don’t know what the laws are in other countries, but the rationale remains the same. If you don’t want to contribute to harming your local ecological balance – don’t release your tropical fish into a lake!

The alternatives to releasing your fish:

• Give it to a fellow hobbyist that can take good care of it.
• Give it to your local pet store
• Give it to your local zoo.
• Donate it to a local hospital, or nursing home. (If they have a large enough tank for it.)
• Sell it on eBay or Craigslist
• Take your fish to a fishery biologist and ask them to euthanize it for you
• Euthanize it in a humane manner of your choice. There are many methods of fish euthanasia described on the internet. Just Google “humane fish euthanasia method” to read which one you are most comfortable with. (TBH – your fish is not gonna like ANY of them.)

Bottom line – the ultimate size of your fish and the care requirements should be considered before you purchase it and bring it home with you. In my mind - buying a fish is the same as adopting a puppy or any other pet. You have to be willing to accept the responsibility of caring for it and providing a good home.

I hope I am not coming across as preaching or ranting here… I just felt the need to put this topic out for discussion, mainly for those new aquarists that may not have considered the ramifications of buying that cute little redline snakehead, or iridescent shark, or lionfish – or even the common goldfish. They are all commonly sold in pet stores and they are all becoming a huge problem when they are introduced into non-native waters. (Note: I am not sure if the snakehead is still sold in pet stores - as they are illegal to own now in thirteen of the states in the USA.)

 

Technically, in Nebraska, it is illegal to dump baitfish in the water as well, as the minnows people buy tend to include shad that grow too quick to be eaten by most fish and various kinds of carp.

 

And anything you remove from the waters and put it your aquarium, cannot be returned!

I always put fish in water and then into the freezer if they must be put down. I feel that is the most humane and natural way. They are cold blooded so they 'go to sleep'.

 

This is a very good public service announcement. At one point it crossed my mind to add some of my bn pleco fry to my neighbors farm pond (with their permission of course) but thought it through. I am sure they would live a long healthy life there but once I thought it through I realized it was possible for them to spread out and could eventually end up in a lake several miles from me and could conceivably end up in all the rivers south of me.

In a heavy rain the pond overflows its dam. That overflow ends up in a wet weather creek that runs behind my house. that creek feeds a bigger creek. Eventually they could follow the creeks to a river and then into the lake. When water is released from the lake they could keep traveling.

Even it it isn't against the law everywhere we need to consider the impact of releasing a new species into our waterways and just don't do it.

 

New York has very strict environmental laws which prohibit such things and even go after bait stores and anglers for the baits they use. In many of our waterways its now illegal to even bring livebait with you while fishing. We even have strict laws concerning aquatic plants and their transportation, its illegal to go between waterbodies without either subjecting your watercraft to an inspection or cleaning, draining, and drying your craft. Working for the DEC has taught me a great deal about aquatic ecosystem management and invasive species prevention!

 

I sometimes see large goldfish in the Patuxent river when I am fly fishing. They act like carp. Funny, I have never got one to take a bite! And I have tried.

 

I agree 100%

 

I sometimes see large goldfish in the Patuxent river when I am fly fishing. They act like carp. Funny, I have never got one to take a bite! And I have tried.

I've always been told that they are carp, so that's not surprising.

 

Years ago, my wife and I were sleeping in the cabin of our boat that was anchored off Block Island in the Chesapeake Bay. We awoke abruptly to the sound of something hitting our boat!

I jumped up and ran outside to see what was going on, but nothing seemed amiss. Then suddenly, there was another loud thump from the port side. I rushed over and saw a glimpse of a huge fish as it rolled in the water. It had to be over twenty pounds by the size of it!

This activity continued for a while... upon questioning local boaters at the marina, I found out that I had witnessed carp spawning. Evidently, the fish crashes into the boat to release eggs and then the male fertilizes them.

Carp are originally from Europe but they were introduced to the Chesapeake region in the late 1800s. Now they are all over the place. In fact, they are now considered to be an invasive species in almost all of the contiguous US.

 

Carp are originally from Europe but they were introduced to the Chesapeake region in the late 1800s. Now they are all over the place. In fact, they are now considered to be an invasive species in almost all of the contiguous US.

I guess people just accepted that they're here to stay, as I never saw a catch-and-kill law on them.

 

I guess people just accepted that they're here to stay, as I never saw a catch-and-kill law on them.

In many places asian carp are now considered an adopted species in the waterbodies where they are present, but there is a lot of work being done to keep them only in those waterbodies.

 

In many places asian carp are now considered an adopted species in the waterbodies where they are present, but there is a lot of work being done to keep them only in those waterbodies.

I was specifically talking about common carp, but I didn't know about the Asian carp. They probably did a cost-benefit analysis and realized they're just going to continue spending a lot of money fighting against fish that aren't going to go away.

 

Let us remember that the vast majority of invasives do not come from aquarium release. Carp were brought from Europe because they were a popular food fish. Goldfish were placed in ponds, but people often build ponds that are fed by natural springs and creeks, from which the young can easily spread. The Asian carp were introduced to control vegetation in various waters of the south, and also escaped into rivers. (Some of that vegetation is also invasive, and another problem entirely.) The Snakehead is federally banned, thereby illegal in all 50 states. It was introduced as part of a ceremony from certain Eastern cultures, where releasing the live fish is supposed to bring fortune. The Peacock Bass was originally stocked by the state of Florida due to its reputation as a game fish. And most of the exotics in Florida waters were escapees from fish farms. Similarly, the Plecos in the Southwestern rivers escaped from farms in Texas.

That does not excuse us from all fault. There are hot springs where aquarium fish were released and are thriving. These, of course, are not likely to spread. But every summer one hears of a Piranha being seen in a small lake or pond somewhere. Often these turn out to be Pacus, but that can be even worse. It is worth mentioning that aquarium fish should never be released into local waters, but one of the reasons for this is that we often get the blame for the actions of non-aquarists; no sense in adding to it.

 

 

Let us remember that the vast majority of invasives do not come from aquarium release. Carp were brought from Europe because they were a popular food fish. Goldfish were placed in ponds, but people often build ponds that are fed by natural springs and creeks, from which the young can easily spread. The Asian carp were introduced to control vegetation in various waters of the south, and also escaped into rivers. (Some of that vegetation is also invasive, and another problem entirely.) The Snakehead is federally banned, thereby illegal in all 50 states. It was introduced as part of a ceremony from certain Eastern cultures, where releasing the live fish is supposed to bring fortune. The Peacock Bass was originally stocked by the state of Florida due to its reputation as a game fish. And most of the exotics in Florida waters were escapees from fish farms. Similarly, the Plecos in the Southwestern rivers escaped from farms in Texas.

That does not excuse us from all fault. There are hot springs where aquarium fish were released and are thriving. These, of course, are not likely to spread. But every summer one hears of a Piranha being seen in a small lake or pond somewhere. Often these turn out to be Pacus, but that can be even worse. It is worth mentioning that aquarium fish should never be released into local waters, but one of the reasons for this is that we often get the blame for the actions of non-aquarists; no sense in adding to it.

Very true, most aquatic invasive plant species have come over in the ballasts of international ships and from irresponsible boaters going between waterways without taking the time to clean off any organic materials.

I was specifically talking about common carp, but I didn't know about the Asian carp. They probably did a cost-benefit analysis and realized they're just going to continue spending a lot of money fighting against fish that aren't going to go away.

That's pretty much exactly what happened. Containment is a much more feasible and affordable plan than eradication.

 

Thanks for sharing that video!