By Winford Chang
The rainbow trout looks like a harmless fish that couldn’t even hurt a baby, right? Wrong, The rainbow trout is a lot more dangerous than what it seems. The rainbow trout is a cold-water fish that fares well in cool to cold environments that have spiraled out of control outside their environments making them an invasive species. Invasive species can break the balance of a natural ecosystem and cause collateral damage to other animals.
The rainbow trout competes with the native fish where it is invading. Without a natural predator, they are left free to steal the food of the natural inhabitants and drive them to near extinction. The rainbow trout are native to the North Pacific Ocean and have invaded almost 47 states that are outside its natural territory. Although extremely dangerous to the animals native to the invaded environments they provide adequate sport for anglers and fishermen but that’s almost it. They put many different animals at stake when introduced to a new area. There are many things that could be done to prevent the spread of invasive species but not many of them are permanent solutions.
- When traveling far don’t release a pet of yours into the wild.
- Volunteering in removal efforts
- Report invasive species sightings
- Clean any equipment you use when moving including small to big objects.
“Rainbow Trout.” Invasive Species Initiative, http://www.invasivespeciesinitiative.com/rainbow-trout#:~:text=Why%20are%20they%20harmful%3F%3A,bad%20news%20for%20native%20fish.&text=Additionally%2C%20stocking%20of%20hatchery%20rainbow,feeding%2C%20in%20about%2020%20states.
Danoff-Burg, Dr. James A. “RainbowTrout.” Invasion Biology Introduced Species Summary Project – Columbia University, http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Oncorhynchus_mykiss.html#:~:text=Threat(s)%3A%20Rainbow%20trout,chub%20in%20the%20Grand%20Canyon.
