Football-sized goldfish are ‘taking over’ lakes in Minnesota. What about Kansas?

A tweet by the city of Burnsville, Minnesota, went viral this week after the city shared photographs of several massive goldfish found in a local lake.

The goldfish were abandoned pets that had grown up to 18 inches long and weighed up to 4 pounds, according to the Associated Press.

“Please don’t release your pet goldfish into ponds and lakes!” the city said in the tweet. “They grow bigger than you think and contribute to poor water quality by mucking up the bottom sediments and uprooting plants.”

Over the past year, other large goldfish have been caught across America including in Washington, Missouri and South Carolina.

And while goldfish have been found in Kansas lakes, they are less likely to grow to the size of the ones found in Minnesota due to predator fish, such as largemouth bass, that are native to the Sunflower State.

“Goldfish can be problematic, but are much less of a problem than other aquatic invasive species we have in the state, such as zebra mussels, Asian carp, and white perch,” Chris Steffen, the aquatic nuisance species coordinator for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism, wrote in an email.

That doesn’t mean they couldn’t become a problem if they are able to successfully reproduce after being released into public waters. Releasing wildlife into public waters is prohibited under state regulations.

For aquarium owners who can no longer care for their animals, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism recommends contacting a retailer for proper handling advice or a possible return, giving or trading them with another aquarium owner, or donating them to a local aquarium society, school or aquatics business.

Steffen said that aquarium owners can find more information at dontletitloose.com, which is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Aquatic invasive species are one of the biggest issues threatening the long-term health of waterbodies in Kansas and the United States,” Steffen said.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invasive species, including goldfish, cause an estimated $120 billion in damage to the country each year.

This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 3:51 AM.