Feature Snip From thestar.com: Lurking beneath the calm surface of Toronto’s ponds and waterways lies an unexpected monster of the deep — giant goldfish.It’s no urban fish tale. Rick Portiss, a fish expert with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
said goldfish consistently appear during Toronto fisheries surveys.
“They show up in the regular batches of fish, and every once in a while you get these big fat ones that look like pumpkins they’re so big and orange,” he said.
Most of these fish begin life in fishbowls or garden ponds as pets. They either escape during flooding or are released into public wetlands where they flourish.
Karen McDonald, a project manager with the TRCA said goldfish grow to the appropriate size of their environment.
“If you have a small goldfish bowl you’re not going to produce a three-pound goldfish. But when you release them into the wild and they have unfettered access to resources… they’re gonna gorge themselves. And it’s a large water body so they’re not going to be impacted by the small size of the container that they’re in,” she said.
While turning Toronto’s public waters into a giant fishbowl is golden for former pets, it can cause a problem for native species. Continue reading – http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/06/25/giant-goldfish-swarm-in-toronto-waters.html