A mother and son fishing at North Park Lake on Tuesday caught something that shouldn’t have been there.
The state Fish and Boat Commission and a Pittsburgh exotic fish store confirmed through photos taken by the anglers that the fish, which subsequently flopped back into the water, was a red-bellied piranha.
In a statement, the Allegheny County Parks Department said the public safety hazard was minimal — an angler might be bitten while removing a hook from the fish’s jaw. There is no evidence the lake contains additional piranha. The mother and son were not identified.
“It’s unfortunate that someone released this fish into the lake, but it’s also an opportunity to remind members of the public that animals and pets should never be brought to the parks and let go,” said parks director Andrew Baechle. “It’s not good for the park, the animals or our residents.”
The centerpiece of North Park, in McCandless, the 65-acre lake is popular with anglers, kayakers and canoeists. A warm-water fishery holding largemouth bass, various panfish, bullhead catfish and common carp, the lake also is stocked with cool-water rainbow trout.
The unauthorized introduction of indigenous or exotic fish species is illegal, as well as dangerous, for the health of the lake.
“If someone is putting in fish that are going to eat everything else, that’s just crazy,” said Dwight Yingling, owner of North Park Sports Shop. “Other stuff — goldfish and koi that get dumped when people are cleaning out a pond — they don’t belong there. It isn’t natural. And when fishermen dump minnow buckets or put in gobies or shad, [those fish] multiply too fast and end up taking over the lake. You could call it a form of pollution.”
Releasing exotic fish in Pennsylvania waters is a summary offense that carries a $100 fine.
“It really isn’t much of a fine,” Mr. Yingling said. “The problem is, they never catch the people who do it.”
Often, when a piranha is found in Pennsylvania waters, it really isn’t a piranha.
“Red-bellied pacu look exactly like red-bellied piranha,” said Andrew Zamiska of Cecil, who sells exotic fish at Wet Pets and Friends in McMurray. “In the wild, they do that on purpose to avoid predators. Both can be sold legally in Pennsylvania. Piranhas can’t make it through the winter, but pacu, which are bigger, I’ve seen them do some amazing things. I wouldn’t be surprised if a pacu survived the winter.”
Distinguish a piranha from a pacu by looking at the teeth. Omnivorous piranha have sharp teeth for cutting. Pacu, which are mostly vegetarian, have molar-like grinding teeth.
John Hayes: 412-263-1991, jhayes@post-gazette.com.
First Published: July 21, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
