8-year-old boy catches unexpected 'exotic fish' in Pennsylvania lake
A father and son went fishing at a Pennsylvania lake for a quick bonding trip and caught more than they expected. When 8-year-old Seamus Coffey started reeling in his catch Saturday morning, he and his father, Michael Coffey, knew he hooked something big. "I was like, 'slow down, dude. You might lose it,'" Michael said. "'This looks like something we haven't caught before.'" It definitely wasn't something they'd seen in Ridley Park Lake. "I was like, 'Oh, it's like a bluegill. I don't know what this is.' And he said, 'it's a piranha,'" Michael said. How did Seamus come to that conclusion? "I watch YouTube," he said. And he was right, according to Mike Parker from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. "Our biologists have confirmed that this is some species of piranha," he said. While the surprise catch gave the duo a story to tell, Parker said it's evidence of a larger issue. "I think a lot of times people have a dream. 'I want to own an exotic fish or a snake or an alligator' and it's cute when it's small, but maybe they can't afford that or house it anymore and they decide maybe this is someone else's problem," he said. Piranhas are tropical fish native to South America and it would not have survived in Pennsylvania waters for long. It also could be disruptive to the lake ecosystem. "Even if the law says that you're allowed to own an exotic pet, whether that be a fish or a reptile, you're not allowed to introduce that species into the wilds of Pennsylvania, so that is unlawful. You can be fined, prosecuted," Parker said. Michael said he and his son got rid of the piranha "humanely," which Parker said was the right move. Seamus said he wasn't scared of the razor-tooth filled fish and his number one hobby remains unchanged. "Fishing is my favorite thing," he said.
Source: 8-year-old boy catches unexpected 'exotic fish' in Pennsylvania lake | kgw.com
