Journal Staff
A South American fish described as a vegetarian piranha with human-like teeth has been turning up in local waters.
Surprised anglers reeled in three red-bellied pacu in July, two from Lake St. Clair and one from the Port Huron area, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reports.
Pacu are members of the piranha family but unlike their fearsome cousins use square, human-like teeth to munch on nuts and seeds.
The fish, which are native to the Amazon, were almost certainly released by aquarium owners who had kept them as pets, the department said.
Because they are a warm-water species they aren’t likely to survive the severe cold of a Great Lakes winter and are not considered invasive.
But their unexpected appearance on angler hooks each summer points to a common dilemma, that of hobbyists releasing pet fish that have outgrown their aquariums, said Nick Popoff, manager of the DNR's aquatic species and regulatory affairs unit.
“Pet release is almost never humane. Pets released from confined, artificial environments are poorly equipped to fend off predators and may be unable to successfully forage for food or find shelter.”