STRONGSVILLE — A local father and son’s love of fish turned into a passion project and a nonprofit that rescues fish surrendered by their owners.
“Well, this six-foot monster right here, that's an arapaima,” said Rich Price, owner of Ohio Fish Rescue in Strongsville.
The arapaima Price was talking about is named Brutus. It’s one of thousands of fish in his care.
Now in its fifth year, as a nonprofit, the operation started as a hobby for Price and his youngest son, Joshua Richard.
They enjoyed pet fish and big tanks. Price said word of mouth ended up bringing people to them who could no longer care for their pet store fish.
“They get big, and they outgrow their tanks,” Price said. “They get really…odd shape because they're in a small tank, and you're feeding them.
The rescue takes up several rooms at Price’s home and includes an indoor pool converted into a fish habitat and outdoor ponds. Price said he’s responsible for taking care of 200,000 gallons of water.
“We give them bigger area and try and make it as home life as possible for them and give them a nice place to live out their life," Price said.
He said public aquariums no longer take fish from everyday folks because of the risk of spreading things like diseases.
Price said his rescue is vital in keeping pet fish out of waterways like the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie.
“The problem is people let their fish go thinking they're doing something good,” Price said. “One, they're tearing up the ecosystem. Two, it's against the law. Three, they usually die come winter because they're not made to handle that kind of cold temperatures.”
While some fish will live the rest of their lives with Price, others are adopted or moved to bigger operations. Price said he works with about a dozen public aquariums nationwide, including the Shedd Aquarium and Georgia Aquarium.
“They have, you know, 24-hour vet service. We don't have that. They have bigger tanks than we have,” Price said.
He’s sunk a lot of money into keeping the rescue afloat but also relies on donations, tours and income from his YouTube channel.
"What keeps you in the game?” News 5’s Damon Maloney asked Price.
“They'll die if we if we stop. Period,” Price said.
Plus, he said it's relaxing to him despite all of the work.
“And it was a special thing I did with my son,” Price said. “So once I'm gone, he'll remember me you know."
