Want to avoid a giant goldfish invasion? Think twice before you decide to dump your little friend into your local body of water.
While goldfish may seem like a small, harmless pet, things can take a turn for the worst when owners — who want to dispose of them in a friendly way — set them free in a local lake, pond, or other waterway. According to the Washington Post, experts say this method can result in big trouble.
“Please don’t release your pet goldfish into ponds and lakes!” Burnsville, Minnesota officials wrote in a Twitter post, showing the football-sized goldfish they recently found in a lake. “They grow bigger than you think and contribute to poor water quality by mucking up the bottom sediments and uprooting plants.”
One man even achieved a new state record in Virginia after catching in a 16-inch long goldfish that weighed 3 pounds, 9 ounces.
Although officials didn’t offer another option for ditching the goldfish, they warn “pet owners should never release their aquatic organisms into the wild.”