Piranha-like Fish Caught in Lake Lowell

March 2024 ยท 3 minute read

NAMPA, Idaho (KBOI) - It's a fish story with teeth.

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"We had no idea what to think," said 17 year-old Jose Flores. On Thursday, he reeled in a fish from the Caldwell side of Lake Lowell he'd never seen before. It became the catch of the day.

"I started reeling it in and as soon as we got it in we thought it was just a big old record bluegill or something," said Flores, "and I went to get the hook my uncle could see my finger bleeding, so I looked in his mouth and I just saw the big chompers on him."

The fish has several large, square-shaped teeth. It's called a Pacu and it's closely related to the Piranha. Needless to say, it's not from Idaho.

"We saw the orange and we were like what is that?" said Flores of the bright colored markings on the fish, "We were just amazed and everything."

"They're a South American fish," said Bill Knight, who owns Fish Aquariums and Stuff, a fish shop in Boise.

Knight knows a lot about fish, and while he's got hundreds of exotic varieties in his store, there are no Pacus peeking out of the glass.

"There's about four or five different types of fish that you will find around in some of the other shops that I will not carry for the simple fact that they get extremely large," he said.

That's how many believe the fish ended up in Lake Lowell. It may have gotten too big for someone's aquarium and they couldn't get rid of it.

"If you walk into [some] stores the tag will say they get around 20 inches which is not even true, not even close to how big that fish gets," said Knight. It actually grows to more than 30 inches, no matter what size your fish tank is.

But releasing it into the wild can spread disease and disrupt the native ecosystem. Those are big concerns for the nearby wildlife refuge.

"Sadness, disappointment that yet again somebody had released a pet into the wild where it doesn't belong," said Susan Cain with the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, which covers parts of Lake Lowell and surrounding land.

"In my own personal opinion I believe that that fish should be outlawed from bringing it into the United States, just for that simple fact," said Knight.

But this Pacu's journey across the western hemisphere will likely end on Flores' wall.

"We'll probably take it to a taxidermy and get it stuffed," said Flores, "I mean catching something like this out of Lake Lowell is quite odd."

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Although it can survive in Lake Lowell now, the exotic fish won't make it through Idaho's winters. Fish and Game officers say a 30 inch Pacu was caught in the Snake River a few years ago.

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