No Fish Tale: Piranha Caught in Des Plaines River
Pet owner probably released tropical fish, expert says
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008 | Updated 2:14 PM CST
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A piranha's teeth tell the whole story, and an expert from the Shedd Aquarium says she thinks the fish pulled in by a Joliet fisherman was, in fact, a piranha.
A Joliet fisherman could hardly believe what he pulled from the Des Plaines River recently.
An expert at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium said that, judging from a photograph, the fish 28-year-old D.J. Johnston hooked on Friday could very well be a red-bellied piranha.
Whatever it is, a spokeswoman for the Shedd said, the fish likely was abandoned by an irresponsible pet owner.
"It was probably in someone's aquarium and they let it go," Melissa Kruth told the Herald News, noting that such reckless behavior poses problems to the environment.
"It makes an invasive species," Kruth said. "It's bad."
Posted Thursday, Jul 16, 2009 - 8:35 PM CST
