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08-07-2008, 08:22 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harpenden, Herts
Posts: 597
| | | Unusual occupants of river
Spotted these some time ago in my local river, wonder where they came from and whether they will survive.  |
08-07-2008, 08:23 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Mid Glamorgan South Wales
Posts: 1,807
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
That's not good, let's hope they don't survive  Not sure if you need to report that to someone ? Perhaps someone else knows 
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08-07-2008, 08:48 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Scotland
Posts: 3,112
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Are they Koi Carp, I thought they were too expensive to toss away.
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08-07-2008, 08:49 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northants
Posts: 4,767
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Quote:
Originally Posted by ron1863  Are they Koi Carp, I thought they were too expensive to toss away. | They look like gold fish 
I doubt they will last long either a heron will get them or pike.
Last edited by Kayleigh; 08-07-2008 at 08:51 PM.
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08-07-2008, 08:51 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: SE Northumberland
Posts: 2,164
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinP Spotted these some time ago in my local river, wonder where they came from and whether they will survive. | What size were they? They`ll be magnets for every predator on the river if theyre of a takeable size
Mark H |
08-07-2008, 08:57 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Suffolk
Posts: 379
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
I caught a similar koi carp in the river Werre in Germany about 20 years ago, it was about 4lb in weight and was one of several known to be there.
They may well survive and grow, just another species of carp really.
Dave |
08-07-2008, 08:58 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: near EXMOOR
Posts: 1,615
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
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08-07-2008, 09:22 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harpenden, Herts
Posts: 597
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
They were quite big, about 8-9 inches long and several more were seen, maybe someone moving house and couldn't get rid of them? Not exactly a threat to local wildlife, maybe a help as an alternative food source to local predators? |
08-07-2008, 09:28 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: SE Northumberland
Posts: 2,164
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinP They were quite big, about 8-9 inches long and several more were seen, maybe someone moving house and couldn't get rid of them? Not exactly a threat to local wildlife, maybe a help as an alternative food source to local predators? | Thats an easy takeable size for most predators. If there are Pike present I dont think they`ll last too long, even a Large Chub would have no problem taking a fish of this size. Not forgetting mammalian predators such as Mink and Otters,and bird such as Herons and Cormorants.
As you say, most likely dumped from someones pond or fishtank...
Mark H |
09-07-2008, 02:08 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,489
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
It is irresponsible dumping Goldfish like these, they pose a risk of disease and hybridize with crucian carp although crucians are unlikely to be found in a river, as the others have said they wont last long.
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09-07-2008, 02:59 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Berkshire
Posts: 2,008
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
They are Goldfish, incidentally I was at a fair a few months back and they had the darts game to win a goldfish but I thought it was banned? If not then it should be!! |
09-07-2008, 03:05 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Scotland
Posts: 3,112
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Do Goldfish grow up to 8 - 9 inches? and how many were there. I can see one or two being dumped but there seems to be several, which suggests they were all dumped at once.
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09-07-2008, 03:06 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: SE Northumberland
Posts: 2,164
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogghound It is irresponsible dumping Goldfish like these, they pose a risk of disease and hybridize with crucian carp although crucians are unlikely to be found in a river, as the others have said they wont last long. | Due to hybridization with Goldfish, true Crucian Carp are now pretty rare.Certainly, many potential angling records for Crucians have been dismissed after being found to be hybrids.
It`s not just irresponsible people dumping alien fish species - round here there are a few ponds being taken over by foreign weed species which people have dumped from garden ponds in the same way, when the weed had become uncontrollable
Mark H |
09-07-2008, 03:07 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: SE Northumberland
Posts: 2,164
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Quote:
Originally Posted by ron1863 Do Goldfish grow up to 8 - 9 inches? and how many were there. I can see one or two being dumped but there seems to be several, which suggests they were all dumped at once. | Goldfish are just Carp Ron, they`ll grow to a size their environment can sustain.
Mark H |
09-07-2008, 03:12 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Grantham, Lincolnshire
Posts: 897
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
We had one in our local river about 10 inches long it took up station with the trout for several days and I tried on several occasions to catch it on the fly but it never 'took'. Eventually it just disappeared and I presumed it had died or a heron or pike had taken it.
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09-07-2008, 03:16 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Berkshire
Posts: 2,008
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Looking at them I would say they are "Comets". |
09-07-2008, 03:23 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Berkshire
Posts: 2,008
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Quote:
Originally Posted by ron1863 Do Goldfish grow up to 8 - 9 inches? and how many were there. I can see one or two being dumped but there seems to be several, which suggests they were all dumped at once. | Here you go Ron. BBC NEWS | England | Kent | Giant goldfish 'simply amazing' |
09-07-2008, 03:33 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Scotland
Posts: 3,112
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Cheers Stewy, they must have been in the river for some time to get to that size or someones got fed up keeping them.
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09-07-2008, 04:04 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fife, Scotland
Posts: 524
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
I completely agree with Mark H, re alien species. They just create all sorts of problems that can be very difficult or impossible to deal with. Be it flora or fauna, the results can be extremely worrying.
Tracey |
09-07-2008, 04:47 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,489
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Due to the size i would assume that they have out grown a tank and been released.
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09-07-2008, 05:33 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northants
Posts: 4,767
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogghound Due to the size i would assume that they have out grown a tank and been released. | If that's the case they may not survive the winter.
Some are not that hardy. I know the fantails wouldn't survive our winters outside. |
09-07-2008, 05:55 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,489
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Yes unless its mild, most of the ornamental species dont survive. Also being in a river the current will probrably be alot faster with more water in winter and goldfish arnt strong swimmers.
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Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as vital to the child as it is to the caterpillar! |
09-07-2008, 07:51 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harpenden, Herts
Posts: 597
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
I only saw them once, and there quite a few in small groups, maybe as many as 20. It's not the sort of river to hold Pike, being fairly shallow, but Herons and the odd Cormorant are quite frequent here, though I guess if they followed it downstream they might have got into deep water (literally as well as metaphorically!) |
10-07-2008, 07:12 PM
|  | New Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Surrey
Posts: 22
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
Ornamental fish and illegally stocked fish pose a BIG THREAT to our native fish stocks 'KHV' kio herpes virus can wipe out complete fish stocks!!!
DO NOT DUMP GOLDFISH/KOI IN PONDS AND RIVERS |
10-07-2008, 07:24 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 98
| | | Re: Unusual occupants of river
I was just going to add that it is illegal to release any non native fish or creatures like turtles into wild waterways and ponds, as it is to release non native pond plants from your garden pond.
(see the signal crayfish thread Signal Crayfish - Releasing into the Wild is illegal ) | | |
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