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Don’t dump unwanted domestics into Idaho |
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February 27, 2016 |
By Roger Phillips
Idaho Fish and Game
It seems every year Idaho Fish and Game gets a
few calls, emails or visits from citizens
wanting to know the identity of some exotic
creature they encountered.
It happened again recently, only this time a
Fish and Game employee spotted a couple of fish
that look like a crossbreed between a sculpin, a
sturgeon and a dinosaur. They weren’t the result
of gene-splicing gone awry, but more likely were
unwanted aquarium fish dumped into Lucky Peak
Reservoir or the Boise River and found dead near
Ann Morrison Park.
The fish in question are Plecostomus, aka
suckermouth catfish or common pleco, which are
commonly sold at pet stores and used for eating
algae off the panes of an aquarium. They are a
tropical fish native to South America. One of
the dead fish found was 11-inches long.
These aren’t the only strange fish found in
local waters. In recent years, pacu, tilapia,
Oriental weather fish, goldfish, koi, softshell
tortoise and others have been caught or spotted
in Southwest Idaho. Oriental weather fish have
established populations in local waters,
including the Weiser River, and are extremely
hard to eradicate because they can survive in
dried mud part of the year.
While it may seem harmless and even humane, to
dump unwanted fish or animals into the wild,
it’s not, and it’s also illegal. Non-native fish
and animals can harm native wildlife and its
habitat. They can compete for limited food and
resources, prey on natives, carry and transmit
diseases, or just become nuisances.
The suckermouth catfish serve as a reminder for
people to never discard living things into the
wild. Some pet stores will take unwanted fish
and amphibians, or they should be given away to
a responsible owner, or euthanized and disposed
of properly. |
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