‘Monster’ caught in suburban lake shatters record. See the ‘world’s longest goldfish’
An enormous golden-orange fish torpedoed through the waters of a suburban lake in Australia. Suddenly, it was corralled into a net and yanked from the water.
On the other side of the net was Dulana Herath, a biologist with PASES Aqua who was catching fish from the lake as part of his efforts to restore wetlands in Perth, according to WAToday.
When Herath examined the more than 100 fish he had caught from Blue Lake Park in Joondalup, he noticed something particularly unusual: It was the huge goldfish.
The catch turned out to be “what is now considered the world’s longest goldfish,” according to a Feb. 6 news release from PASES Aqua.
Experts were surprised by the “remarkable” and “fascinating” catch, the release said. The discovery “sheds light on the hidden wonders within our own backyard.”
“The record-breaking goldfish has captured the attention of both the scientific community and local residents alike,” PASES Aqua said.
Herath’s catch measured a little over 20 inches long, which is nearly 2 inches longer than the previous world record set in 2003 in the Netherlands, WAToday reported.
“He was a monster,” Herath told 9News.
The lake offers “a lot of food resources” and an “ample amount of space” for goldfish that are often dumped by owners who no longer want them, he told the outlet.
Despite the fish’s record-breaking length, the catch will not make any record books because it was already euthanized, according to 9News.
A goldfish problem
Australia has a problem with goldfish in urban lakes, where they often function as apex predators by eating tadpoles and native fish.
“They create issues in lakes because they eat all the plants, they mobilize the phosphorus, which contributes to algal blooms, and they pass diseases on to native fish,” Herath told WAToday.
The fish often end up in waterways when their owners release them, Stephen Beatty, deputy director of the Murdoch University Center for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, told the news outlet.
“They’re fine as pets,” according to Beatty. “But, you know, once you release something to natural environment, that’s where the problem arises.”
Perth is on the western coast of Australia.
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