Something's fishy: Pacu caught at base lake

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rochelle Sollars
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  A fisherman of 21 years has a fisherman's tale to tell after, to his surprise, he reeled in a piranha-like fish Sept. 13 at the base lake.

"I was dumbfounded when I saw what it was," said Donny Cook. "At first I thought it could have been a red breasted sunfish, but then I saw some small teeth and my exact thought was, 'What is this doing in the lake?'"

After doing his research, Mr. Cook discovered that he had reeled in a fresh-water fish from South America, called a Pacu.

"They can get up to 60 pounds," said James Popham, 19th Civil Engineer Squadron natural resources manager. "It's related to Piranha, but it's not a meat eater. Piranha have razor sharp triangular teeth."

Pacu can be purchased at pet shops and could've been discarded into the base lake by its owner.

"People can buy them for their aquariums," said Mr. Popham. "We suspect someone dumped it in the base lake when it got too big for their aquarium or they had to move."

Releasing foreign fish, plants or animals onto the base is bad for the ecosystem, Mr. Popham said.

"The introduction of foreign organisms can upset the species or number balance. They may have parasites or diseases that could contaminate the ecosystem," he said. "The different organisms may be invasive species that don't have any natural predators or diseases to control their population numbers. These foreign organisms compete with our native species for food and other resources."

"If these Pacu get out of our base lakes and into the warmer river systems they could cause a lot of problems for the state and country," he added. "Look at what has happened by people releasing Asian carp and snakehead fish. State and federal agencies are having to spend a lot of time and money to try to control them."

Executive Order 13112 from Feb. 3, 1999 - Invasive Species, Section 2 - states that each federal agency will "prevent the introduction of invasive species" and "not authorize, fund or carry out actions that it believes are likely to cause or promote the introduction or spread of invasive species in the United States or elsewhere."

No plant, animal or fish can be released onto the base without permission, doing so is disobeying a direct order, said Mr. Popham.

"There are also state and federal laws that control the transportation and release of organisms," he added.

Arkansas General Wildlife Regulations prohibit unauthorized releases of wildlife. Federal laws and regulations prohibit transportation of invasive species.

There are other options that can help pet owners find new homes for their pets if they can no longer care for them.

"People can avoid a lot of problems by doing research on how big a fish will get before they buy it. If they need to get rid of a pet fish or animal then either give it to a friend, sell it or see if the pet store will take it back. Sometimes a local zoo will take animals," said Mr. Popham. "Whatever people decide, they should never release them into the wild so they can be free.

If anyone else fishes up a foreign fish in the base lake, they shouldn't release it back into the ecosystem, said Mr. Popham.

"Report it to me, and don't throw it back," he said. "Pacu are supposed to be good eating so take them home to cook. We have two nice lakes on base that are good for all types of recreation. Let's all work together to keep them clean, and free of trash and foreign organisms."

If someone would like to report a foreign fish, animal or plant on base, call Mr. Popham at 987-3681.