Almost every year that I have filmed birds on the Patuxent River, I have seen osprey catch what, for all intents and purposes, look like goldfish.
There are carp in the river that have a slightly red look -especially on the fins - but I am talking about fish that are probably not naturally found in the river.
The first three photos were taken in 2011. The last three in 2010. I made it a point not to increase saturation on the photos so that the fish was not changed from the original color.
I am sure there are people who wouldn't think twice about releasing goldfish in a river once their children (or even the parent's) grew tired of caring for them.
That is how many non-native species have become a problem in this country. Everything from birds to snakes to Cayman have been released into habitats where they can end up doing a lot of damage to native species.
They can out compete other species for food since they may also have no natural predators to keep them in check. This problem even applies to non-native plants which may be planted innocently enough in the yard and spread into the environment. Google the words "non-native species" and your state to see how much of a problem it is right in your own neighborhood.
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