An ordinary fishing trip turned extraordinary for 8-year-old Seamus Coffey and his father, Michael, when they reeled in a fish unlike any they had seen before at a lake near the Philadelphia airport.
After a struggle, Michael initially suspected his son had hooked a large, feisty bass. However, once they hauled in the fish, Seamus noticed its razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaw, clear signs it was no ordinary catch.
"I thought it might be a bluegill or something else common to the area. I had no idea what it really was," Michael told ABC News. "Then Seamus looked closer and said, 'It's a piranha!'"
Drawing on knowledge from his favorite fishing videos he said he watches on YouTube, Seamus identified the fish as a piranha, a species native to the freshwater
rivers, streams and lakes of South America, thousands of miles from Ridley Park Lake in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission later confirmed the fish was indeed a piranha, raising concerns among wildlife officials about the growing trend of people releasing exotic pets into local lakes and waterways.
"It's a lifelong responsibility for many of these species—they can live for years, require special diets, and need very specific care and environments," said Mike Parker, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. "Unfortunately, when owners become overwhelmed, they sometimes think releasing these pets into the wild is the best option. In reality, it's one of the worst things you can do, both for the animal and for the local ecosystem."
Michael Coffey said he humanely disposed of the piranha.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'It's a piranha:' Boy catches exotic fish at Pennsylvania lake
