In Asia, goldfish are very popular to be eaten or as pets. But in other countries, one of which is England, goldfish are feared by their citizens.
These fish may look innocent and cute, but they have a voracious appetite, tolerance for cold temperatures, and love to roam around. That's why goldfish are considered by the British to be catastrophic for local wildlife.
New research in the UK shows goldfish consume more food than fish of the same type in British waters. This fish eats more than other invasive fish, and is also more aggressive at taking on other competing species.
According to Dr James Dickey of Queen's University Belfast, lead author of the study, that means goldfish pose a threefold threat.
"While the northern European climate is often a barrier to non-native species surviving in the wild, goldfish are known to be tolerant of such conditions and can pose a real threat to native biodiversity in rivers and lakes, consuming resources that depend on other species. ," he said as quoted from The Guardian, Thursday (26/5/2022).
This study does not reveal whether the emergence of more goldfish in the wild is due to many pet owners buying goldfish during the pandemic lockdown and then releasing them into rivers.
"Our research does not focus on the possibility of this problem getting worse since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. But there are reasons to believe that this is, or at least will happen. Goldfish are at high risk and limit species availability," Dickey said.
Apart from England, other countries that are also frightened and bothered by the presence of goldfish are Canada and the United States. Goldfish are categorized as an invasive species or pest in the wild by scientists, so their large populations are sometimes worrying. Moreover, goldfish can grow very large.
Indeed, another field of grasshoppers. In Asia, that much goldfish would have been a meal.