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This is what can happen when you release your goldfish into the wild

Goldfish can survive and thrive in Maine.
Credit: City of Burnsville, MN

BURNSVILLE, Minn. — That cute little goldfish you bought to appease your child's desire to have a pet can do harm if released into the wild. 

The city of Burnsville, Minnesota has the proof. They posted pictures of goldfish that were pulled from a local lake.

"Please don't release your pet goldfish into ponds and lakes! They grow bigger than you think and contribute to poor water quality by mucking up the bottom sediments and uprooting plants," the post says. 

NEWS CENTER Maine spoke with Mark Latti, spokesman for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

"They out-compete native species and degrade water quality," said Latti. "We are very careful about what comes into this state."

Latti said people are only allowed to keep goldfish inside, not outdoors -- not even in a private pond. And they will survive a Maine winter. 

The MDIFW will reclaim a pond if goldfish are discovered, by spraying Rotenone, a plant-based pesticide. The chemical attaches to the gills of a fish and suffocates it. 

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