Tag: Edina

What started in a fishbowl is ending up in Twin Cities lakes, especially In Edina’s Lake Cornelia, where thousands of goldfish are being discovered and removed by groups like Nine Mile Creek Watershed District.

“They were seen to be very abundant fish species in the lake, more abundant than any other native species that was in the lake, and that was really a problem,” said Jordan Wein, with the watershed district.

Goldfish aren’t just out of place. They stir up the bottom of the lake, releasing phosphorus that fuels algae blooms and clouds the water. Once caught, they had one destination.

“Their only option was to landfill them, and so we kind of got in contact and made this partnership, permissible from the DNR through our permits,” Wein said.  

Now, instead of being tossed out, the invasive fish are on the menu for bears, otters and sea lions at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley.

“Black bears in the wild will have a certain amount of their diet made up of fish, so the fact that we’re getting these fish in through the DNR in a way that fits our messaging needs that promotes the things that we want to promote in a conservation standpoint, while also feeding our animals, it’s just a win-win all the way around,” said Nolan Schlichter, with the Minnesota Zoo.

With the new items on the menu, these furry friends are fish out of water.

“When animals are used to eating the frozen fish we get from our other sources, and then they’re faced with these goldfish that look very different, smell very different, it could take some time to acclimate,” Schlichter said.

The watershed district says the partnership with the Minnesota Zoo is the first of its kind in the state. They’ll evaluate how it worked this season, and if successful, it could expand to other zoos or wildlife centers in the future.