Have you heard his story?

 

http://youtu.be/xYxTINCKXKU

I believe it was found in New Jersey as well. People probably throwing out tank pets as they shouldn't be.

They've captured something like 13 alligators in New York this year.

 

People are dumb.

I think it's hilarious that the Pacu is always talked about as the "******** eating fish"

 

 

In reality they are almost always after fruits and nuts (heh).  People in South America get attacked because they bathe in the water naked.  If you want to keep your boys safe, just don't skinny dip.  Chances are nobody wants to see you sans vetements anyways haha

 

 

 

 

Maybe we can get some pacu vs. snakehead action now though, who knows haha?  I think the media just like to try to scare people because then they'll repost their video    .  Pacus are not going to take over and I'd hardly call them "exotic" although I did have a 2' pacu as a pet once that was pretty cool.  Completely hand fed fresh fruits, it was more like a dog than a fish.  IMO one that someone has raised to a huge size might survive but there are far more aggressive fish just about everywhere that would destroy a juvy pacu.  They're no piranha, that's for sure.  

I know of an old guy who caught one here in Illinois (Maple lake,for some of the Illinois guys)I thought he told me it was 18" long. He said it put up a heck of a fight. He caught it on a slip bobber and a worm.

Would a released tropical fish like that actually be able to survive the upcoming Illinois winter? Major environmental implications if those things are weathering the cold months and, God forbid, breeding.

They are a tropical fish and wouldn't survive the winters here in Illinois.

I think it was one or two years ago that someone caught a piranha at Lake of the Ozarks.  The fish probably got to the size where the owner couldn't afford to feed it any longer and into the lake it went.

Would a released tropical fish like that actually be able to survive the upcoming Illinois winter? Major environmental implications if those things are weathering the cold months and, God forbid, breeding.

possibly at the warm water outlet on a power plant lake- but really no it would not survive- not to mention no native species of food nor any food for it all winter.

Heck...we cant even have florida lmb here!!! 

I think it was one or two years ago that someone caught a piranha at Lake of the Ozarks.  The fish probably got to the size where the owner couldn't afford to feed it any longer and into the lake it went.

I could be wrong, but I think more than one pirhana has been caught there. They did a whole episode of Monsterquest on History channel there trying to determine if it would be possible for them to breed there.

Jeremy Wade did a Rivermonsters episode on these guys.

I believe it was found in New Jersey as well. People probably throwing out tank pets as they shouldn't be.

 

 

That's probably it right there.

 

 

Would a released tropical fish like that actually be able to survive the upcoming Illinois winter? Major environmental implications if those things are weathering the cold months and, God forbid, breeding.

 

You'd be surprised.  There's a small pond in a park that I used to live by where more than a few piranha are caught at every year.  And it gets pretty cold in MD.  I personally know at least 2 people that have released them there but I doubt there are that many released to account for all the ones that are caught so I would assume there's a breeding population, small though it may be.

possibly at the warm water outlet on a power plant lake- but really no it would not survive- not to mention no native species of food nor any food for it all winter.

Heck...we cant even have florida lmb here!!! 

It's almost impossible even in the power plant lakes if they ever shut them off for cleaning or service like they do the ones around here because as soon as they stop generating the warm water stops running in and the water temps drop rapidly. 

 

We had a 6' alligator found dead a winter or two ago in one of our power plant lakes. 

Pacu is a close relative of the Piranha and sometimes considered to be a kind of Piranha and of course the news stations are looking for ratings and saying someone caught a Piranha at a local lake will get a lot more people tuning in than saying someone caught a Pacu. I'm sure people turn Piranhas loose in lakes too, but I think a lot of them are Pacu. 

It's almost impossible even in the power plant lakes if they ever shut them off for cleaning or service like they do the ones around here because as soon as they stop generating the warm water stops running in and the water temps drop rapidly. 

 

We had a 6' alligator found dead a winter or two ago in one of our power plant lakes. 

Pacu is a close relative of the Piranha and sometimes considered to be a kind of Piranha and of course the news stations are looking for ratings and saying someone caught a Piranha at a local lake will get a lot more people tuning in than saying someone caught a Pacu. I'm sure people turn Piranhas loose in lakes too, but I think a lot of them are Pacu. 

That terrifies me!!!!! 

That terrifies me!!!!! 

He wasn't big in gator terms but he was plenty big enough to put a serious hurting on what would have been a very surprised fishermen!

http://blogs.kansas.com/outdoors/2010/01/28/alligator-found-in-kansas-lake/