Thousands of fish taken out of Magrath pond

By Lethbridge Herald on September 20, 2025.

Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Town of Magrath is schooling its residents on the dangers of releasing fish into waterways after a major infestation of goldfish in the storm pond located at the entrance of the town.

The Town was alerted by residents who saw goldfish in the pond, which was later confirmed by workers. But the town underestimated just how many there were. So far, more than 570 kg worth of fish have been removed.

James Suffredine, chief administrative officer for the Town of Magrath, says the majority of fish have been exterminated in the pond, thanks to an aquatic pesticide called Rotenone.

“So far, we have counted 64,000 (fish). There’s still some that will be around, they’ll float to the surface as the poison takes effect, so I expect we’ll get a few more.”

It is estimated that the project cost the town an upwards of $20,000, an amount Suffredine wishes could be better spent elsewhere.

“We sure wish we could be using the town’s resources in more exciting ways…that money for a small town like ours sure could have gone to more exciting stuff.”

Suffredine says the exact cause of the infestation is unknown, it is believed there likely was a release at some point and instead of the fish dying over the winter, they multiplied.

He adds while a storm pond may not seem connected to any waterways, it only takes a heavy rainfall for the fish to make their way into a natural body of water. With goldfish not being native to southern Alberta, and being such an invasive species, it was important that the town act in a timely manner

This isn’t the first time Magrath’s waters have seen an infestation of goldfish, as the Town dealt with a similar situation five years ago where workers had to drain the storm pond to get rid of them.

Lethbridge was also dealing with a similar situation last year.

Suffredine says the bottom line is there’s better ways of dealing with unwanted fish than releasing them in local waterways.