Watch CBS News

'Amnesty' Pond For Dumping Unwanted Goldfish Planned After Deadly Restoration Of SF's Mountain Lake

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) – People can soon start dumping their pet goldfish, carp and other unwanted fishy pets in a designated "amnesty" pond near San Francisco Presidio's Mountain Lake.

Federal park officials in San Francisco say they've finished the first phase of an experimental -- and deadly -- attempt to restore native fish to Mountain Lake.

Apparently, disenchanted pet owners have been dumping non-native carp and goldfish into the four-acre pond.

Officials at San Francisco's Presidio purposely poisoned the pond earlier this month. Officials said the plan is to restock Mountain Lake with native creatures after the foreign fish are gone.

Workers retrieved 842 poisoned goldfish, carp and other fish that San Franciscans had dumped into the pond over the years.

Park officials plan to test the waters in May and then start restocking the pond's original three-spined sticklebacks, Western pond turtles and chorus frogs.

The so-called amnesty pond is planned nearby so people can keep dumping their goldfish, carp and other fish.

TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.