Goldfish owners are being urged not to release their unwanted pets into waterways after several ones the size of a rugby ball were found in a US lake.
Astounding pictures by the City of Burnsville Twitter account show the exponential growth of the orange fish pulled from Keller Lake in Minnesota as they were several times their normal size.
Officials found 10 fish, some measuring up to a foot long, earlier this month during a survey of the fish population to assess water quality, according to the Star Tribune.
A second search on Monday resulted in another 18 being found, some of which reached 18 inches and a staggering weight of four pounds.
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Officials are now pleading with with pet owners not to release the invasive creatures into the waterways as they can destroy indigenous species and the natural habitat.
While pet owners may be well-intentioned in wanting to find a humane alternative for their pets, it is illegal to release goldfish in local waterways.
Taking to Twitter, Burnsville officials said: "Please don't release your pet goldfish into ponds and lakes!" the tweet said.
"They grow bigger than you think and contribute to poor water quality by mucking up the bottom sediments and uprooting plants."
"Most of them were definitely bigger than you'd find in your typical aquarium," said Daryl Jacobson, the city's natural resources manager," told the news outlet.
Goldfish are a threat to the habitat as the way they feed along lake floors causes algae to grow because of the sediment kicked up and the resulting phosphorus.
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The price of rehabilitating waters infested with goldfish can be incredibly hefty, with nearby Carver county signing an $88,000 contract with a consulting firm to study how to eradicate shoals.
It is unclear what Burnsville officials will decide to do with the fish they've found but, as maintaining water quality is a priority, they may decide to try to remove them.
In the meantime pet owners are being urged to give their fish to pet stores or find someone else who can take care of them rather than throwing them into ponds.
"That's really the last thing you should be doing," Paul Moline, manager of the Carver County planning and water management department, told the Star Tribune.
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