Giant goldfish have been found in Lake Tahoe and they are changing the quality of the beautiful, crystal water. According to a Feb. 22 report on Yahoo!News, the gold fish weigh as much as 4 pounds and are up to 1 ½ feet long!
Lake Tahoe is located on the border between California and Nevada, and it is the second deepest lake in the country. It is also one of the clearest lakes, so the scientists are concerned about the potential for algae growth from the goldfish because they eat a lot and excrete a lot, too.
The giant goldfish are considered an invasive species, and it is thought that they came from pet goldfish that were dumped in Lake Tahoe. They are competing with the native fish for food and are quite determined.
Scientists have been able to remove around 50-60 goldfish a year for a few years using electrofishing, but the efforts continue. Invasive goldfish are also invading other lakes around the world.
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