DELTONA, Fla. — A Deltona fisherman thought he caught a piranha in Dupont Lake Friday night. However, Florida Fish and Wildlife confirmed Tuesday that the fish is a pacu, which is related to the piranha, but does not pose any risk to any other wildlife.
Tom Cornell said he caught the fish in the Deltona lake and had the proof in his freezer. WFTV was there when he measured it, which was about 14 inches long.
SLIDESHOW: Images Of Caught Pacu Fish
Cornell said it was a fish unlike any he had seen before in his life. He reeled it in with a chopped piece of snake for bait.
"He took my hook and I knew I had something big," Cornell said.
Cornell said he caught the fish across the street from his home in Dupont Lake late Friday night. He said it was his second encounter with the fish; the night before the fish got away from him.
"The night before, he took my hook and when I opened him up my hook was in his belly," Cornell said.
Cornell said the teeth and its jaw were a dead giveaway.
"It nipped my finger," Cornell said.
An hour later it did it again.
"I said I can't believe this thing is still alive," he said.
WFTV called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in to check things out. Even the officers who responded said they had never seen anything like it.
It's illegal to own a piranha in Florida. Violators can face up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail. Those same punishments apply to anyone who releases a prohibited species into the wild.
Piranha live in the Amazon basin and have only been found in Florida after people released them from aquariums.
A pacu is native to South America, but is commonly found in Florida waters.
WFTV
