Goldfish Rescue In Seattle: 'Fish And Chips' Now Safe

SEATTLE, WA - Two tiny goldfish named Fish and Chips were scooped from a catch basin near a Seattle elementary school on Friday. A group of Seattle Public Utilities employees enacted the rescue before the Carassius auratus pair could be swept out to Lake Washington with the coming rain.

Local residents contacted SPU to ask for the rescue after students at Stevens Elementary School, 1242 18th Ave. East, took notice of the goldfish duo.

“When fall rains come, these goldfish would likely be washed away into Lake Washington and may not survive the trip down the pipes,” SPU Senior Environmental Compliance Inspector Eric Autry said in a bulletin about the rescue. “Believe it or not, goldfish are an invasive species, and we want to prevent the introduction of invasive species into our local water bodies. Plus, we could use some company around the office.”

That's right, after scooping Fish and Chips out of the catch basin, the pair were (per county fair tradition) placed in a clear plastic bag and rushed to SPU's Ballard operations facility. Pictured above is Autry hanging with the new office mascots.

How did Fish and Chips end up in the catch basin? Unclear. SPU guessed that their original owners couldn't care for them, and so abandoned them. Like alligators, parakeets, and other unwanted exotic species, goldfish do sometimes end up living in your local waterway, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Image courtesy SPU