A goldfish weighing 4.5 kg gained prominence on Monday after being spotted during a population survey of fish in a South Carolina lake, park officials said.
Ty Houck, an officer at Greenville County Parks, said the “huge” fish was found swimming on Nov. 16 in a 12-acre body of water in Oak Grove Lake Park in Greenville County.
Greenville Rec, which oversees the park where the fish was discovered, posted a photo of the golden spectacle on Facebook on Monday.
“Is anyone missing the goldfish? This 9 lb goldfish was found on Oak Grove Lake during some recent tests in our lakes, ”wrote the organization in a post. “The work included electric fishing, a method of measuring the health of the fish population.”
Wildlife officials were conducting a population survey of fish analogous to a “fish sticking a finger, or fin, into an outlet,” said Houck. “A weak electric current runs through the water and stuns them for a few minutes.”
Houck said he believed the giant goldfish was the only one swimming in the lake because park officials found no others in his research.
He added that although goldfish is not native to South Carolina, it was not considered an invasive species of the lake.
The average life span of goldfish is six to seven years, while those found in the wild can live up to 30 years, according to the United States Geological Survey.
According to the agency, goldfish can grow over six kilograms – far below the weight of the nine kilogram pond fish found in South Carolina.
As for the current whereabouts of the goldfish, Houck said he put the fish back in the water after taking a picture of the great creature.
“Following the advice of professionals, we decided to leave the single, or single, back where we found it,” said Houck. “Obviously, they are very happy here.”