Canadian Monster Goldfish

If it’s not one invasive species causing problems in Canada, it’s another. Currently, Canada is struggling with goldfish taking over their lakes. These goldfish are able to reproduce without males, which is not something that is particularly uncommon with fish, but problematic in natural settings where they don’t really have predators. A female goldfish is able to essentially make clones of itself when it lays eggs (remember, we previously mentioned that the eggs will grow and mature without a male). A single female can lay around 50,000 eggs at one time and can do so up to three times a summer. Yes, not every egg is expected to survive, but even looking at a 1% survival rate with the female laying eggs only once, that’s still 500 new fish to whatever environment they’ve been introduced to. How are the goldfish getting into the lakes? Irresponsible pet owners. In terms of invasive species, that seems to be a general theme- if the species being introduced can thrive in the new environment it well. As goldfish rank third behind dogs and cats as the one of the top 3 pets to have, they’re pretty common to see in both Canada and the U.S. The major issue here is that there are no laws that pet owners have in terms of responsibility of a pet- a dog or a cat can be surrendered and a fish can just be released in most cases. The most protected pets are cats and dogs, but other than them, there aren’t a ton of restrictions though it is frowned upon and in some places illegal to release invasive species in the wild unless there are cameras it is hard to prove that such an act occurred. Hence, there have been some increases in certain nonnative species in North America. Don’t believe us? Take a look at the population of snakes and turtles in the US, more specifically the increase in Burmese pythons (native to Southeast Asia) and red eared slider turtles (native to the Gulf of Mexico). Burmese pythons cause food shortages for native species with the most impacted area being the Florida Everglades. Meanwhile, slider turtles have been found in the northern parts of the U.S. and unlike the native turtle population, they carry salmonella. Not that you would want to touch a snapping turtle, but at least they don’t carry salmonella. Like the goldfish, these two species get released into the wild when owners either cannot maintain them or get tired of caring for them. Goldfish, unlike snakes and turtles, can also be flushed. When flushed alive, guess where they end up? Not some magical new realm, but back into the water. Like the super pigs, the goldfish have been observed to not die during the Canadian winters, but instead seem to be thriving even during that period. In order to combat the goldfish, Canadian authorities have been electrofishing. Electrofishing is exactly what it sounds like- the water is shocked via an electric current which stuns the fish. Once the fish float to the surface, field biologists can scoop them out with a net. Unfortunately, this process is expensive and can cost around $10,000 per lake. Think twice before you flush or release. For the latest in news and stock picks, don’t miss our podcast at https://www.arbitragetrade.com/podcasts/