State says mystery fish a piranha

Local biologist says exotic fish caught Saturday is another South American type.

BY MARIA NAGLE
Journal-Courier

In the opinion of Department of Natural Resources, the “scary looking” fish caught at Lake Jacksonville is a red-bellied piranha.

The agency came to that conclusion after a DNR biologist in Springfield reviewed photos of the fish taken earlier Monday by Conservation Police Officer Jamie Maul.

The teeth of the fish led the biologist to believe the fish was a piranha and not a pacu, Mr. Maul said. “Regardless of whether it’s a piranha or a pacu, we don’t want it out there,” Mr. Maul said.

“They’re both exotic. They both come form the Amazon. Both are commonly bought by people for their home aquariums," he said, "and both are illegal to turn loose into a public body of water."

After catching it in Lake Jacksonville, a friend brought the fish to the Jacksonville home of Waco Wyatt, hoping that Mr. Wyatt, an avid fisherman, could help him identify the fish.

Routt High School biology teacher Scott Maruna, who examined the fish closely, disagrees with the state’s assessment, however. Judging by the structure of the teeth, which appear flat and human-like, it is a pacu, he says.

Primarily vegetarian and fruit eating, pacus are predatory only to the smallest of minnows and live-bearing fish. They typically populate the same South American rivers that piranhas do, which are known for their sharp teeth and aggressive appetite for meat and flesh.