Massive Warning About Goldfish In New York State

New York State residents are being warned about on ongoing and growing concern in the Great Lakes. New York is along both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and environmental officials are asking people to stop dumping goldfish in to the lake or flushing them down the toilet.

How Many Fish In The Great Lakes?

If you love to fish, the Great Lakes offer some of the best fishing in the entire world. The fresh water in these lakes is home to many fish species. In fact, according to most reports, there are around 139 varieties of fish species in the Great Lakes.

What Do Most People Fish For?

We are truly blessed in New York State to live along these big, beautiful lakes and people from around the world come to fish for walleye, perch and, maybe the most popular, small mouth bass. Many bass tournaments have been featured on the Great Lakes over the years with more on the way in 2024.

A Warning About Goldfish!

If you have been to a county fair or perhaps have given up on the kid's fish tank at home, maybe you are left with a dilemma; what to do with the fish if that you don't want to take care of anymore? Many people think it is OK to flush them or to let them go in the streams, creeks or local lakes. However, this has become a problem on the Great Lakes.

MSN.com ran a story that shared the following regarding goldfish in the lakes.

In the Great Lakes, abandoned goldfish and their kin are known to root up plants, contribute to harmful algal blooms and consume native vegetation, writes Livia Albeck-Ripka for the New York Times.

Are Fish Good Pets?

Many families go with fish as a pet or first pet. We tried that as well with our kids. It seems like a good idea and it seems like fish are easy keepers. However, I think we underestimated the work involved. We started out with ten fish and we are down to 2. The water is tough to keep clean and then you have to remember to feed them. It sounds simple. Yet when you have four kids under 7, nothing is ever really "simple". Fish are cheap and fun to watch. But I suggest you do some homework before you buy them.