



It was a piranha - specifically, a red-bellied piranha.

It was not a pacu, the mostly vegetarian relative and fellow South American native of the carnivorous piranha. Almost invariably, "piranhas" caught from waterways in the United States are misidentified pacu.

But not this fish. It was the real thing - Pygocentrus nattereri, a native of the Amazon basin and the stuff of legends built around piranhas' aggressive carnivore behavior and a set of teeth that can easily and efficiently rip apart its victims.

Two's company ...

This was only the second piranha verified found in Texas waters. The other piranha documented in Texas was taken in 1982 from Boerne City Reservoir in Kendall County.

But it's a good bet it will not be the last.

Possessing and releasing live piranhas and dozens of other exotic, harmful or potentially harmful fish species is prohibited by Texas law. Yet every year, increasing numbers of prohibited fish, which have the potential to do great harm to native fish and the ecosystems in which they live, are discovered in Texas waters.

"Over the past few years, we've seen more and more of them being brought in," Robert Goodrich, assistant chief for fisheries law enforcement for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said of prohibited exotic aquatic species. "The Internet has made it a whole lot easier for people to get them."

"Them" is a rogues' gallery that includes piranhas, freshwater stingrays, snakeheads and other dangerous and potentially dangerous or ecosystem-damaging fish.

Released into the wild

Most of the fish come into Texas through the aquarium trade and end up in Texas waters when released by owners who tire of the fish or see them outgrow their tanks. That's how TPWD officials figure the piranha came to be in the Tom Bass Park lake, and how most of the invasive, exotic species ended up in Texas waters.

Texas law prohibits sale and possession of live piranhas and other dangerous or potentially dangerous fish, but many states do not. Federal law prohibits importation of only a handful of fish - snakeheads, "walking" catfish, silver, big-head and black carp.

But all it takes to get a box holding a dozen live, red-bellied piranhas or a freshwater stingray or any of dozens of fish banned in Texas delivered to a door in Texas is an Internet connection and a credit card.

"You can purchase almost anything on the Internet," Goodrich said. "That doesn't make it legal."

First offense for possession of prohibited fish species is a Class C misdemeanor in Texas, with a maximum $500 fine. But subsequent convictions boost the charge to Class B and Class A misdemeanors, which carry possible jail time as well as heavier fines.

A person caught releasing a live, prohibited fish in Texas faces a Class B misdemeanor for a first offense, and repeated offenses can bring state-jail felony charges.

But the easy availability of prohibited species and the irresponsible and often ignorant actions of some mean TPWD game wardens frequently encounter them.

"We run across them quite often," Goodrich said of red-bellied piranhas being held in aquariums.

Wardens, who have found live snakeheads for sale in Texas fish markets and regularly find prohibited fish for sale through online classified advertising sites, also have made cases involving possession of freshwater stingrays, creatures much feared in their native South America because of the toxin they carry in the serrated barbs that give the animals their common name.

"We work freshwater stingray cases every year," Goodrich said.

Not surprising, as a simple online search turns up several out-of-state sites offering freshwater stingrays.

Native competition

Fisheries managers worry prohibited species released into Texas waters will establish self-sustaining populations that could outcompete, prey on or otherwise overwhelm native species. Already, exotic invasive fish - armored catfish, tilapia and grass carp - have established self-sustaining populations in Texas, causing damage to freshwater ecosystems.

Piranhas, which have been documented in waterways in a dozen states, have not established populations where they have been found in North America. But that possibility exists if the fish are given enough opportunities through illegal releases.

Research indicates piranhas, evolved to live in consistently warm water, can't survive when water temperature drops below about 50 degrees.

But research presented by the American Fisheries Society indicates piranhas "might" be able to "overwinter" in waters in parts of the Deep South, including the southern third of Texas. The research indicates piranhas "could" live in winter in deep South Texas and most of Florida.

We've been lucky. But that might not last.

"Right now, it's a constant battle," Goodrich said of trying to keep a lid on the spread of prohibited invasive fish.