金魚入侵科羅拉多湖
The Goldfish Invasion That Is Threatening A Colorado Lake's Ecosystem
金魚入侵科羅拉多湖
For the casual visitor, Teller Lake in Boulder, Colorado looks like a delightful fishbowl filled with thousands of gorgeous orange, black, and white goldfish floating around. However, to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department they are a group of invasive species that could end up disrupting the lake's entire ecosystem if not removed soon.
對普通參觀者來說，科羅拉多的Teller湖看起來就像一個巨型魚缸，裏面有上千條橘色、黑色和白色的金魚游來游去。然而，對於科羅拉多公園和野生動物部門來說，這些魚如果不及時清走，就會給整個生態系統帶來嚴重威脅。
In fact, park officials believe that the 3,000 - 4,000 specimens currently floating around are all a result of a few unwanted pet goldfish that were dumped into the lake. The problem lies in the fact that these fish are not native to the lake, which means that they have no predators. This allows them to reproduce and multiply in large numbers.
事實上，公園的負責人認爲，這三四千條金魚應該是被人在湖中放生的寵物金魚繁殖的結果。由於這些魚不是湖中野生的，因而它們並沒有天敵，所以就開始瘋狂的繁殖生長。
While that may appear to be the most humane thing to do, it is extremely dangerous, not to mention illegal. That's because as this non-native species grow in numbers, they compete with the existing fish for food sources like plankton and small insects. Another major cause for concern is the diseases the goldfish may be harboring. This could be fatal to the native species since they do not have the immunity to fight new illnesses.
雖然放生魚類很人性，帶來的後果卻是危險的，甚至還會違法。因爲這些非湖中原生的魚類會大量繁殖，搶奪其他魚類的口糧，諸如浮游生物和小昆蟲。另一個主要令人擔憂的因素是他們攜帶的疾病對原生魚類也會有致命的危險，因爲原生魚類對新的疾病沒有免疫。
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists, therefore, have no option but to extract the fish from the lake in most efficient manner. They are currently contemplating three options - draining the lake, stunning the fish with electricity or using a chemical that interferes with their respiratory system. The fish will then be sent to the local raptor rehabilitation facility and fed to injured birds of prey like eagles and osprey.
科羅拉多公園和野生生物學家目前沒有其他選擇，只能選擇把金魚從湖中移走這種比較有效的方法。他們現在制定出三種方案：抽乾湖水，用電擊或者化學方法干擾這些魚的生殖系統。然後把魚送到有本地天敵生存的環境下或者直接餵給受傷的鷹或鸛這類食魚猛禽。
According to experts, the best way to dispose of unwanted fish or any other animal is to get advice from the people that originally sold them the pet. They say that most owners believe they are doing the "right thing" by returning their "exotic" pet back to the wilderness. However, saving one pet often results in destroying the area's ecosystem and hurting other innocent animals.
專家稱，處理不想餵養的魚或者其他動物的最好的方式是諮詢下這些寵物的賣家。許多主人認爲把這些“外來”寵物重新放入野外是件好事。然而，“救助”一個寵物也許會造成破壞該地區整個生態系統或者傷害其他無辜動物的代價。
譯文屬原創，僅供學習和交流使用，未經許可，請勿轉載。
