Don’t dump unwanted domestics into Idaho

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.