Piranha Don't Live in Pennsylvania Lakes; A Boy Caught One Anyway

Eight-year-old Seamus Coffey expected to reel in a few fish on his weekend fishing trip with his dad. A bass, maybe, or a bluegill or two. Those are the kinds of catches they were used to on the local lake just outside of Philadelphia.

He ended up catching a piranha.

"I was like, 'Oh, this is a bluegill, I don't know what this is,'" Michael Coffey, Seamus’ dad, told ABC News. Seamus identified it right away. He informed his dad it was a member of the sharp-toothed South American species. He recognized the fish, he said, “because I watch YouTube!”

Startled by their catch, the father-son duo reported it to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). The PFBC confirmed it was a piranha. Somehow, a fish native to the Amazon made its way into a lake in the US Northeast.  

Piranha have a reputation as vicious flesh-eaters. But they are omnivores. They also scare easily. They are less likely to swarm and bite a person swimming than people in the US might believe. Still, their presence in North American waters can be a problem. So Michael Coffey disposed of the fish humanely.     

Mike Parker told ABC the piranha likely found itself in the lake after being dumped there by an exotic pet owner. Parker is a spokesman for the PFBC. He noted that Seamus’ fish story is a cautionary one. 

"(Owning an exotic pet) is a lifelong responsibility," Parker said. "And people quickly tire of that and decide the best thing to do for this animal would be to go throw it in the river, go throw it in a pond. That is probably the worst thing you can do for an animal that's been a pet." 

Reflect: What's something interesting you've learned from watching videos or having a hobby that ended up being useful to you in the future?

Photo of a piranha from Unsplash courtesy of Sofia Rotaru.