The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries confirms that a single Red Piranha was caught at University Lakes in Baton Rouge last week. Aquatic Nuisance Species Coordinator Robert Bourgeois said the South American native fish with teeth can throw things out of balance in our ecosystem here in Louisiana.
“They eat a lot of dead dying fish, they do have a tendency to attack some fish, just like any other fish would. And of course, everybody would freak out because of the pop culture movies made when we were all young,” said Bourgeois.
As for how the invasive species made its way to the lakes on LSU’s campus, Bourgeois has a theory.
“Most likely it was someone who had it as a pet and released it, they are illegal to have in Louisiana, so it would be an illegal pet that was released into the lake,” said Bourgeois.
Bourgeois said so far only one piranha has been discovered, but they continue to check the University Lake system and take samples.
“We didn’t find any and we’ll continue to monitor over the next couple of weeks and months ahead, just to make sure. They should die off in the wintertime with our normal winter temperatures,” said Bourgeois.
All piranha species are illegal to possess or sell in Louisiana.
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