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Question about goldfish and other carp

3 replies

TheTecknician · 11/08/2025 16:33

We often hear that releasing goldfish and similar fish into the wild from home ponds and aquariums is a bad idea because these fish are not native, i.e. are invasive and can cause environmental damage and spread disease. Yet, there is no British native carp - the crucian, mirror, grass and other carp are all introductions from overseas but they're not regarded as the bad guys. Does anyone know the reasoning behind this goldist attitude?

Thankyou.

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BellissimoGecko · 11/08/2025 16:41

Well, carp have been in the UK since medieval times, so I think you can say they are pretty native now.

but things like goldfish aren’t.

you should never dump pond fish in a waterway in case you introduce disease to the waterway.

TheTecknician · 11/08/2025 17:29

I agree that carp have been in the UK for hundreds of years but they still aren't native technically, if only practically. What's the problem with goldfish, apart from the risk of disease?

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TheTecknician · 11/08/2025 19:50

I've never seen a wild goldfish, yet there are apparently large numbers of them as they breed readily. @AlanThePig had a large garden pond with several, herons permitting!

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