Piranha Caught In Us River

[mrmoshe]

Piranha caught in US river

A PIRANHA has been caught in a North Carolina river.

The piranha, a south American carnivorous fish, apparently "bared its teeth" and bit fisherman Jerry Melton's pocketknife, the Associated Press reported.

"I hadn't seen anything like it before," Mr Melton, who was hoping to catch a local catfish instead, said.

"I've been fishing my whole life. Catching something like that is definitely going to make me think twice about what's in that water."

A nearby aquarium worker, Paul Barrington, said Mr Melton's catch highlighted the growing problem of keeping exotic animals as pets and then dumping them into local waters.

"Releasing non-native fish in our native waters is highly irresponsible because it could have a very adverse affect on the fish in that ecosystem," Mr Barrington said.

Mr Melton plans to keep the piranha in his freezer until he has it mounted. The piranha is believed to be the first caught in the region.