Don’t Dump Aquariums: Other Options Available

Invasive Species Can Start From Well-Intentioned Aquarium Releases

Warming temperatures mean we get out to our favorite lakes and rivers. We start to clean up our yards and start spring cleaning. But this is also the time of year we tend to see a large number of aquarium releases into our local lakes and rivers. Brightly colored aquarium rocks show up along access points of our rivers or at boat launches of our lakes. While spring is a great time to clean up after a long winter, make sure you do so without hurting our waters!

Lots of plants and animals can cause harm to our lakes. Pets like goldfish can rapidly reproduce and feast within a lake. Very quickly, they can become the most numerous fish. There are lots of instances of lakes being full of nothing but goldfish that was all started by one person releasing a pet! Plants from an aquarium or even fish diseases could also be introduced if an aquarium is dumped into a lake or river.

There are resources available to you as a pet owner to rehome your aquatic friend! Locally, you can call or visit J&R’s Aquatic Animal Rescue who will work with you to rehome your pet. Around the state and the US, there are different programs and partners to help ensure you have other options than releasing your pet into a local waterway. The national Habitattitude campaign in partnership between the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with the sole focus of helping protect our environment from the impacts of invasive species. You can visit their website to learn more and find local rehoming partners near you!

Just like you wouldn’t release a dog or cat into the wild, be sure you aren’t releasing any pets or plants into the environment this spring!