PASSAIC, NJ — A fisherman got a surprise when he hooked a fish in a northern New Jersey lake.
His 10-inch catch turned out to be a pacu, which is a gentler cousin of piranhas found in South America’s Amazon River.
The fish Tom Boylan landed in Passaic’s Third Ward Veterans Memorial Park had rounded teeth, and an orange belly and fins.
He turned to an aquarium supply store for answers.
Absolutely Fish manager Pat Egan tells The Record someone most likely had the pacu in their fish tank and dumped it when it became too big.
Egan says the store doesn’t sell the fish because they can grow up to 4 feet long. Pacus eat vegetation and nuts unlike piranhas, which will feed on flesh.