Are there any Goldfish in the wild? Where do they come from?

26th February 2012

Post reblogged from King Jaffe Joffer with 17 notes

Are there any Goldfish in the wild? Where do they come from?

This is a random thought that crossed my mind today, so I employed the services of Google:

“Goldfish as we know them do not exist anywhere in the wild state. They are a product of long years of selective breeding. The wild fish from which goldfish were developed belong to the carp family and are still numerous in the streams of China. They do not naturally have the golden hue, but are dark in color, much like ordinary carp,’although the species tends toward albinism. Centuries ago the Chinese fish culturists interbred light-colored specimens and produced many beautiful varieties. Fanciers further induced and strengthened the golden and silvery colors by regulating the quantity of minerals-in the water.

Goldfish are now produced in large commercial aquariums. A 150 acre hatchery near Frederick, Maryland, normally produces five million goldfish a year.”

Source

At the “beach” (riverbank) near where I grew up, there are “wild” goldfish swimming around. We used to try to catch them in buckets.

Tagged: Shit I Be Googling Goldfish