Seamus Coffey thought he had hooked bass. His father thought it might be a bluegill. Neither of them guessed a toothier species.
The 8-year-old from Folsom was fishing with his father, Michael Coffey, on a recent Saturday morning at Ridley Park Lake when the line went heavy, reports Elizabeth Worthington for 6abc.
As the fish came closer, Seamus quickly recognized it as a piranha.
How? “Because I watch YouTube!” he said.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission confirmed the boy was right.
Biologists identified the catch as a species of piranha, a tropical fish native to South America and a long way from home in a Delaware County lake.
Agency spokesperson Mike Parker said the fish likely arrived the same way most exotic species turn up in local waterways: someone bought a pet they could no longer keep and dumped it.
Releasing exotic animals into Pennsylvania waters is illegal and can bring fines or prosecution.
Parker said the practice threatens people, native wildlife, and ecosystems.
It rarely ends well for the animal, either.
A piranha raised in a tank, he said, would not have lasted long in a local lake.
Ridley Park Lake, a longtime centerpiece of the borough, dates back to the 1870s and was created as Ridley Park developed into an early railroad suburb.
150 years later, the lake remains a popular spot for fishing and recreation.
Coffey disposed of the fish humanely rather than returning it to the water, a call officials said was the correct one.
Parker said it is unlikely more piranhas are swimming in the lake, but anyone who catches one should contact the Fish and Boat Commission.
Despite the strange catch, Seamus said he’ll keep fishing.
“Fishing is my favorite thing,” Seamus said.
His father put the morning in perspective, saying, “We’ve had some crazy fishing experiences, but that’s definitely number one.”
Read more about the piranha and the warning from wildlife officials at 6abc.
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