Weird Looking Fish Out Of Rice Lake

[Grimace]

I was doing some hunting around the internet and the best i can figure is that it is a piranha. The red bellied pacu's teeth are more square shaped. By what i can gather anyway.

[Cudz]

That is a piranha.

Before I opened the thread I was expecting to see a pic of an oscar. Nope, I was surprised.

[sharper]

So this is why I haven't been able to catch anything at Rice...

[bigugli]

I used to work at a garden centre that sold plants and fish for the garden. Every year cottagers would come in and buy new fish. I asked them what happened to the fish bought last year. They released them at the end of cottage season. Now there are all sorts of koi and ornamental carp swimming around Point Abino, the Welland canal, Port colborne. The garden centre, for its part, would not post or display information on releasing exotics or invasive species into the wild. It might affect sales.

All across the province people get tired of their aquatic pets, but don't have the heart to kill them. So they release them into the wild instead. Add to that the numerous accidental releases that occcur every year from flooding. Yet the government sees no need to set tighter controls on the exotic pet trade.

[Greencoachdog]

 

Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier 1818)

Common Name: pirapatinga, red-bellied pacu

 

Taxonomy: available through

 

Identification: Machado-Allison (1982) revised the pacus and provided distinguishing characteristics for Piaractus brachypomus. Colossoma bidens and Colossoma brachypomum are junior synonyms that have been widely used in the aquarium literature and in most past reports concerning fish introductions. Many Piaractus taken in U.S. waters have been misidentified and reported as the red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri. This pacu species is also confused often with the other common pacu species, tambaqui Colossoma macropomum and possibly with Piaractus mesopotamicus. An unpublished mimeograph by Taylor (1985) used to identify pacus was apparently based on information provided by Britski (1977) and Machado-Allison (1982). For photographs, see Machado-Allison (1982), Géry (1977, identified as Colossoma sp. on pages 252 and 256) and Goulding (1980, identified as Colossoma bidens).

 

Size: 85 cm SL and 20 kg.

 

Native Range: Tropical America. Orinoco and Amazon river basins, South America (Machado-Allison 1982).

 

 

 

Interactive maps: Continental US, Hawaii, Puerto Rico

Nonindigenous Occurrences: A single fish (241 mm long) was taken in Alabama by an angler from Elk River in Limestone County on 29 August 1988 (museum specimen); the original newspaper account (Middleton 1988) incorrectly reported the fish as being a red piranha. A specimen was also collected in Lay Lake in Lower Coosa Basin in 2005 (Rider 2005) and in Magnolia River in 2002 (Hartman, pers. comm.). Two fish were collected in North Sauty area of Guntersville Lake (Bonner 2005). One fish was taken by an angler from a cemetery pond in Arkansas in Fayetteville, Washington County, in June 1995 (Wright 1995a, 1995b). Species were also collected from the Hot Springs vacinity (Loe 2005). One pacu was captured in California at Stevens Creek Reservoir, Santa Clara County, on 4 July 1996 (R. N. Lea, personal communication). Four specimens were collected from Adobe Creek in Petaluma, California, in July 2000 (D. Logan, personal communication). A single fish was collected from private pond in a housing development just east of town of Delta, Colorado, in October 2004 (P. Walker, pers. comm.). Specimen was collected in the Denver area (Anonymous 2004). There are several records of single fish taken from various sites in Florida including a pond near Port Charlotte in DeSoto County in September 1983 (Courtenay, personal communication); Bivens Arm Lake in Gainesville, Alachua County, 5 December 1984 (museum specimen); a lake at St. Lucie West Development, just east of I-95/St. Lucie West interchange in St. Lucie County, 11 June 1991 (museum specimen); a retention pond at the Stoneridge Apartments in Gainesville, Alachua County, 5 September 1993 (museum specimen); Lake Alice, Gainesville, Alachua County, 22 January 1998; Turkey Creek in Palm Bay, Brevard County, 16 November 2000 (Ruiz-Carus and Davis 2003), artificial lake in Coral Springs in 2005 (Kelley, pers. comm.). There are several records of single fish (identified as Colossoma bidens) taken from various sites in Georgia, including a private pond in Banks County in 1982, a private pond in Coweta County in 1987, and Big Cotton Indian Creek, east of Stockbridge in Henry County on 6 June 1990 (R. M. Gennings, personal communication). A specimen was collected from Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS 2005). A single fish was taken an by angler from Lake Tara in the Flint River drainage in September 1994 (museum specimen). A fish was collected from Wahiawa Reservoir (=Lake Wilson), Oahu, Hawaii (Wright 2004). A single fish taken with a trotline from the Mississippi River in Illinois, south of Chester, in or near Randolph County in September 1988; in an erroneous newspaper account (Anonymous 1988), it was identified as a piranha, but the accompanying photograph shows it to be Piaractus. Additional state records include a fish taken from Little Grassy Lake, Williamson County on 15 June 1992 (museum specimen); a single fish was taken from a campus lake at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Jackson County, on 22 June 1992 (Burr et al. 1996). Two fish were collected from Bangs Lake (Chinwah 2005). A fish was collected in Fox River in Carpentersville in 2005 (TePas, pers. comm.). One specimen was taken by a fisherman in the Brush Creek Reservoir, Indiana in August 2004 (L.Lehman, personal communication). Another was taken in Oxbow Park, Hammond, Indiana, in June 2005 (D. Keller, personal communication). A specimen was also caught in the Little Culumet River/Lake Michigan in Fall of 2003 (Simon and Breidert 2003). Fish were collected from Cayuga Power Plant discharge in 2002 and 2005 (Keller, pers. comm.) A single fish was taken from Lake Barkley, Cumberland-Ohio River drainage, Kentucky, about river mile 56, in Trigg County, on 16 June 1993 (museum specimen). Another Kentucky pacu (based on a newspaper photograph probably this species) was taken from Lake Cumberland in 1991; it was incorrectly reported as a piranha in original newspaper account (see Lander 1991). Pacus were collected from Caney Lake and Shreveport, Louisiana (Richie 2004) and Red River near Acme in 2005. Collected from C S Mott and Glover's Lakes near Flint, Michigan (Bass Times Staff Reporter 2005). The species is reported in Lakes Huron, Erie, Michigan, and Ontario (Cudmore-Vokey and Crossman 2000). The fish were collected from Bynum Run Park near Bel Air, Susquehanna River at Conowingo Pool near Peach Bottom, golf course in Calvert County, Susquehanna River near Port Deposit, and Swan Creek, Potomac drainage, Maryland (Maryland Department of Natural Resources 2004, 2005). One specimen was taken in Massachusetts by an angler from Dug Pond in Natick, Middlesex County, in 1988 (Hartel 1992; Hartel et al. 1996); another was taken from Webster Lake, Webster in 1992 (Hartel 1992). A specimen identified as this species was taken in Minnesota from Taft Lake, Hennepin County (K. Schmidt, personal communication). Also collected from Tanner Lake in 2002 (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 2005). There have been five records from Mississippi, all from the Pascagoula River drainage. Two specimens were originally identified as Colossoma species, the first collected at Lake Serene, Lamar County, in September 1990, and the second taken from a tributary in the Leaf River system, Forrest County, in July 1991 (Ross and Brenneman 1991; S.T. Ross, personal communication). There are two records of single specimens taken from West Lake in the Leaf River system, Lamar County, during the summer of 1992; another specimen was taken from a pond in the Leaf River system in Hattiesburg, in September 1982 (museum specimens; Ross, personal communication). Specimens have been collected in Sardis Lake (Tallahatchie River) northwest of Oxford in northern Mississippi, Enid Lake, and Lake Patsy (Oxford) (Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 2003). Collected from Tchoutacabouffa River near Lil Joe's Cedar Lake Fishing Camp and Gautier (Jones 2003; Lukens, pers comm. 2003). A single specimen was taken by an angler in southwest Missouri from Stockton Lake, Dade County, in August 1995 (T. J. Banek, personal communication). Also collected from Longview Lake just southeast of Kansas City (Missouri Department of Conservation 2003). A single specimen was taken by angler in Montana from Lake Elmo, Billings, in July 1994 (preserved specimen). This species has been taken from one or more sites in Nebraska; Welsch (1996) reported that piranhas were commonly taken in the state but the accompanying photograph of a local 'piranha' is that of a Piaractus brachypomus. Collected from Tate Pond near Hudson, New Hampshire (AP 2005). This species was reported in Lake Ontario, New York (Cudmore-Vokey and Crossman 2000) and in Esopus Creek, NY (Arnold 2005). In North Carolina a single fish was taken with a hook and line from Elizabeth Lake, Insole County, in October 1991 (Lee 1991). Pacus were collected from Wauseon Reservoir and Ohio River near the mouth of Paddy Creek, in Rome Township, Ohio (Dick 2005; Stephens 2005). A specimen was cought in Lake Texoma, Oklahoma on September 25, 2003 (Hysmith, pers. comm. 2003); two were caught near Catoosa in 2007 (K. Holcomb, pers. comm.). A single specimen was taken in Oregon from the Willamette River near Portland in Multnomah County, on 4 July 1988; one or more other collections of pacu from other sites in the state also may represent this species (Logan et al. 1996). One fish was collect from Fairfield Fish Culture Station at the edge of West County Pond in Erie County, Pennsylvania in 2000 (Browser and Leighton 2000). Specimens have been collected in the Ohio River near the towns of Industry and Glasgow (Dyer 2001). Several single fish (identified as Colossoma brachypomum) were taken from various sites in Texas including Town Lake in Austin, Travis County, in 1980; Lake Bastrop, Bastrop County, during the summer of 1987; the Colorado River near Bastrop, Bastrop County, on 16 July 1987; a private pond near Cleburne, on 12 June 1989; a freshwater canal near Nederland, Jefferson County, on 4 June 1990; Gray's Hisle Camp, Tri Cities Beach Road, near Baytown, Harris County, on 31 July 1990; a creek adjacent to All American Rice Growers Canal, 9.7 km south of Dayton, Liberty County, on 17 October 1990 (an angler reported catching three additional specimens, which he released); the Colorado River 1.6 km upstream from Bastrop, on 26 August 1991 (Howells et al. 1991a). A single fish was also collected in Nasworthy Reservoir, Concho River, Tom Green County; Fort Phantom Hill Reservoir, Jones County; Lake Tyler, Smith County; Lake Granbury, Hood County; Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County; the Livingston Reservoir; Cypress Creek, Hays County; Trinity River; and Eagle Mountain Lake, near Ft. Worth, Tarrant County, Texas (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 2001; Anonymous 2004; L.Pearson personal communication). Specimens were collected in San Felipe Creek in Del Rio (Killin 2005), Palestine Reservoir, northeast Texas (Knight 2005), Cypress Creek, near Wimberly (Pearson 2000), and Belton Lake (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 1993). A single fish was collected in Burke Lake in Burke Lake Park, Fairfax County, Virginia, in June 1988 (Bohn 1988). A fish was also collected in Smith Mountain Lake, Beford County (Conley 2005). A single fish was collected in Medical Lake near Clear Lake, Spokane, Washington (Roesler 2003).

 

Means of Introduction: Most records likely represent aquarium releases, although some Florida and Georgia records may have resulted from fish farm escapes.

 

Status: Reported from 19 states including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indianan, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia.

 

Impact of Introduction: Unknown.

 

Remarks: This species is a popular aquarium fish. It is a prized food fish in South America. To date, records maintained by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on introduced foreign fishes show pacus identified as either Colossoma bidens (= Piaractus brachypomus) or as unidentified pacus. No Colossoma macropomum have yet been taken in Georgia. A fish taken from the Snake River in Oregon (OS 13217) was originally identified as Colossoma macropomum by Logan (1994), but one of us (LGN) examined this specimen and it more likely represents a hybrid between C. macropomum and Piaractus (also see Logan et al. 1996). All Texas specimens were taken by anglers and later identified by biologists of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Edited September 3, 2008 by GCD

[Cudz]

GCD. I don't believeit is a Pacu. I am pretty sure it is a piranha (red bellied). They do look similar but pacu get a longer body when they get bigger but this fish still has the piranha shape. The teeth are pointed as well.

[CLofchik]

Pacu have weird teeth, almost human. That's a piranha, probably got too big for somebody's tank...........and toilet

 

Pacu teeth:

 

[bassfighter]

The chance of you catching a fish release by someone recently is so slim, I pray they are not second or third generation species.

 

If they are indeed Piranhas, what will happen 5 years from now? some areas will be unswimmable.

 

Hopefully the fish will not cross bread with other species, adapt to our climate and produce really carnivorous kind.

 

The Image of a Pacu fish showing human like teeth looks funny. They need some teeth whithener or brace to close tooth gap before picture taken.

Edited September 3, 2008 by bassfighter

[highdrifter]

Looks like dinner to me!!

 

Talk about random. Good thing they can't survive our canadian winters...

 

Pretty evil looking fish though.. yikes!

 

HD

[GBW]

Pacu have weird teeth, almost human. Pacu teeth:

 

The Image of a Pacu fish showing human like teeth looks funny. They need some teeth whithener or brace to close tooth gap before picture taken.

This fish is the Letterman, David fish as the gap in on the bottom and not the top...

[camillj]

Most definitely red bellied Pirhana... pretty big .. gott think it managed to survive a winter or two ... most likely didnt find breeding partner though

[Rizzo]

Zoinks, pretty scary stuff there. If any more get caught in rice this year you won't find me swimming there anytime soon

[OFAH Invading Species]

My neighbour caught this out of Rice Lake this past weekend. I have never seen a fish like this ever...she gave it to me to take pictures and contact the MNR if neccessary. It was caught with a worm.

 

Is this just a case of someone dumping their pet fish into the lake? Or is it an invasive species?

 

Blue_Axela, could you please call the Invading Species Hotline, 1-800-563-7711. We would be interested in some more details about the fish, and possibly picking the fish up from you for identification, and to confirm the sighting.

 

Thanks,

 

David Copplestone

[Blue_Axela]

Hi David,

 

I was contacted via PM by Matthew. I just called him back and left a voicemail. I'm be more than happy to cooperate with the MNR. I will get in touch with Matthew this week and set up a time when you can pick up the fish.

 

Rob.

[kennyman]

One of the members here (vanillagorilla) showed me pics of himsef using 7lb piranha as bait in the amazon. I can't remember the name of the fish hey were catching with them. He said he fought one for 45 minutes but couldn't even move it. He was a former musky guide on the Ottawa so he's used to big toothy critters (saw pics of some incredible muskies too), but nothing like that. Anyway I thought it was interesting. Anything that can eat a 7lb piranha has got to be seriously nasty.

[BillM]

kennyman: Sounds like he might have been fishing for Arapaima, 15ft long and up to 500lbs, lol...

 

Here is a National Geographic video:

[GbayGiant]

One of the members here (vanillagorilla) showed me pics of himsef using 7lb piranha as bait in the amazon. I can't remember the name of the fish hey were catching with them. He said he fought one for 45 minutes but couldn't even move it. He was a former musky guide on the Ottawa so he's used to big toothy critters (saw pics of some incredible muskies too), but nothing like that. Anyway I thought it was interesting. Anything that can eat a 7lb piranha has got to be seriously nasty.

 

A 50"+ musky would and could easily eat a 7lbs piranha or any fish 7lbs and even bigger, lol, I've seen it happen first hand that's what makes them such an origional fish, they have been found dead on shore with big carp hanging out of their mouths (they can get a little greedy and choke on big fish), but I hear you. I seen a discovery channel show where they were using big piranha as bait on the Amazon also, forget the name of that giant fish they were going for but they looked like a giant bowfin and get over 200lbs.

 

 

 

Piranha in a Ontario lake or any Canadian water period would never make it past ice up anyway and most likely die well before that, even if the tank at your house gets a couple degrees to cold in the winter they go belly up. Sorta the same reason I don't use shiners when the water gets to warm because they last about 2 minutes after a certain temp.

[Dozer]

I would love to catch an arapaima, seen a documentary on one of those once... jeez.

 

Damn invasive species!

 

Stupid earthlings.

[guangcz]

Pacu have weird teeth, almost human. That's a piranha, probably got too big for somebody's tank...........and toilet

 

Pacu teeth:

 

holly...that teeth looks exactly like human teeth.

[Tie Twist]

Once while I was seening some firewood I seen the biggest Musky that anyone claims to have ever saw.

It was like a saw from a movie, I wanted to throw my seen at it, but it was a chainseen, and the water would have wrecked it.

 

Quite a saw I seen.

[Burtess]

Once while I was seening some firewood I seen the biggest Musky that anyone claims to have ever saw.

It was like a saw from a movie, I wanted to throw my seen at it, but it was a chainseen, and the water would have wrecked it.

 

Quite a saw I seen.

 

LMAO..

[Mattones]

It is a Pacu not a Piranha i have owned Piranha's for over 7 years. This is a very common mistake.

[Ramble]

You guys might like this, i posted it last year but it's definalty relivent here since the conversation seems to have gone of on a bit of a tangent lol

 

30 inch northern with a 16 inch walleye.

 

 

[Reef Runner]

Cool photos Ramble On. Is that from Kesagami Lodge? Guessing from the decomposition you found it floating. A neat find, thanks or sharing.

[uglyfish]

a pirhana could survive through a winter here. most animals will adapt to survive. and pirhana are caught in our waters more then u think, my friend lives in welland rite on the canal, and there were 3 caught at different times of the year not more then 100 yards from her house. oh, and 1 of the 3... was caught during ice fishing season... other 2 were spring and summer catches