PHOTOS: Giant goldfish in Lake Erie able to survive winter
(WJW) — Lake Erie looks like a frozen tundra, but beneath all of that ice goldfish are not only surviving, they may be thriving and growing to massive sizes.
Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have found that goldfish are very hardy and have the ability to survive in very cold waters, even those of the Great Lakes.
Screams heard as man falls through ice on local lake
Just recently, USFWS posted a picture on social media of an extremely large goldfish they say was found last July during a survey on Lake Erie off Presque Isle, Pennsylvania.
'This goldfish isn't supposed to be here. But someone released it, thinking they were being kind. Instead, they created an invasive problem that can last decades,' read the post.
The USFWS post was shared in light of National Invasive Species Awareness Week, a time when wildlife experts educate the public of problems caused by invasive species, like goldfish in the Great Lakes, and how they can be prevented.
'Goldfish grow massive in the wild, where they can turn lakes and waterways into murky messes, steal food from native fish, and wreck water quality,' continued the USFWS message.
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As FOX 8 has previously reported, according to National Geographic, a goldfish can live more than 40 years in the wild, growing upwards of 16 inches and weighing more than 5 pounds.
Here are some more pictures shared by USFWS:
'If you can't keep your fish, rehome it. Just don't let it loose,' said USFWS experts.
CLICK HERE to read more FOX 8 coverage of giant goldfish in Lake Erie and the problems they pose.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Forbes
6 days ago
- Forbes
Drones Deliver Millions Of Mosquitos to Prevent Bird Extinctions In Hawai‘i
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'One of the drones we use, the Freefly AltaX is used for movies (can carry a RED Epic or similar) as well as aerial ignition deployment for controlled wildfire burns.' What makes these particular drones particularly well-designed to carry out their mosquito-delivery job? 'The drones needed to have adequate range and endurance to reach the 3000 acre site that extends over mountainous terrain carrying the payload system and then return home, so much of the testing has been focused on demonstrating this,' Mr Knox explained in email. Are these drones guided by autopilot or by humans? 'Both,' Mr Knox replied in email. 'A human pilot flies the aircraft manually during takeoffs and landings to precisely navigate around hazards in the forest, then once above the tree canopy, the aircraft is switched into an autopilot mode which allows it to carry out the preplanned mission as the pilot monitors the flight.' The male mosquitoes are delivered in biodegradable pods. Each drone carries up to 23 mosquito pods in one flight, and each pod contains about 1,000 insects. 'The pods are made of a sterilized biodegradable paper pulp and are not reusable,' Mr Knox explained in email. 'Once released from the air, they fall to the forest floor where they provide protection to the mosquitoes until they're ready to fly away. The pods then begin to break down once exposed to the elements.' A drone carrying a biodegradable mosquito pod, loaded and ready to deliver. (Credit: Adam Knox, ... More image appears here courtesy of the American Bird Conservancy.) This effort is the first known instance of specially-designed mosquito pods being dropped by drones. One of several pod design challenges that had to be met before the drone delivery service could be launched was the pods needed to maintain a controlled temperature. Unlike other insect species that have been released directly from drones in other parts of the world, these male mosquitoes are fragile and require containment in temperature-controlled pods. 'It's extremely exciting to have reached this project milestone,' Mr Knox remarked in email. 'The first drone deployments took place in April 2025. It took a lot of hard work and reliance on strong partnerships to reach the point where we could successfully demonstrate the utility and potential of drone aircraft as a tool for this important work, especially in one of the more challenging environments in the world.' The mosquito deliveries occur over thousands of acres of remote, mountainous terrain that have significant elevational changes, strong winds, and frequent rain. The drones and their release systems had to be tested in these demanding conditions to validate their ability to carry out the basic components of the mission. Can you imagine dropping mosquitoes in this landscape without falling to your death? Aerial view of ... More the rugged terrain, steep walls and waterfalls at Koolau Forest Reserve East Maui, Hawaii. (Credit: Forest and Kim Starr / CC BY 3.0 US) Originally, mosquito deliveries began in 2023 with twice weekly helicopter deployments into remote forests on Maui and Kaua'i, but drone deployments are so much safer for the humans delivering the mosquitoes. 'This opens up a lot of possibilities now and into the future,' Mr Knox pointed out. 'With a drone, we have more flexibility with deployment timing in areas that generally have very unpredictable weather, and it's safer because no humans need to ride in the aircraft as pilot and crew to deploy the mosquitoes.' Your job looks like it's fun. Is it? 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Axios
09-06-2025
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Louisiana among at least 12 states seeking "chemtrail" ban
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Yahoo
04-06-2025
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Brain-eating amoeba: How are people infected?
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