PhotoTwo decades ago, someone dropped a handful of unwanted pet goldfish into a creek in southwestern Australia. If his team gets the Vasse’s goldfish problem in order, its work could inform goldfish management efforts far beyond Australia. Goldfish invasions start with a disconnect between how people view goldfish and what goldfish are like in the wild, Dr. Beatty said. In fact, when tossed into waterways — particularly warm, nutrient-rich and relatively stagnant ones like the Vasse — goldfish behave in unexpected ways. But his family has trained pet goldfish to perform complicated tricks, such as nosing a tiny soccer ball into a net, and researchers have shown that goldfish can discriminate between music by Bach and Stravinsky.

Source: New York Times September 22, 2016 20:12 UTC