City cancels piranha bounty as other fish slaughtered
Red-bellied piranha swim at the London Zoo in March 2010.
July 13th, 2012
11:06 AM ET

City cancels piranha bounty as other fish slaughtered

A Chinese city has canceled a $157 bounty on piranha after people killed too many other fish in a four-day hunt, Chinese state media reported Friday.

Government officials in the southern city of Liuzhou had offered a 1,000-yuan ($157) reward for every piranha caught after at least three of the sharp-toothed fish attacked two swimmers in the Liujiang River over the weekend, biting off parts of one person's finger, state-run agency Xinhua reported.

But no one caught any piranha in the four-day river hunt, according to the state-run China Daily newspaper.

And too many local fish breeds were being killed, including in nets, prompting concern about the river's ecological balance, the head of the local fishery bureau told China Daily.

Although the bounty has been canceled, residents are still encouraged to try to catch piranha with a hook and line but not nets, Liuzhou fishery chief Wei Yongwen told China Daily.

Piranha are native to South America, and fishery officials said they might have been imported to the Liuzhou area from the Amazon region, Xinhua reported.

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Filed under: Animals • China • Fish • Nature
soundoff (88 Responses)
  1. dike

    Man the last time someone put a non native fish in a lake here they had to kill all the fish in the lake clean up and reintroduce native fishes... they believe the non native fish came as a someone's pet from China.

    July 13, 2012 at 2:30 pm | Report abuse |
    • Somewhat

      Ah I remember the snakehead – fish from China that can walk right out of the water and somehow breathe long enough to walk to other nearby water. Maryland fish and wildlife used explosives to kill the fish in the pond to make sure they got them all before they walked out to other waters. That was one freaky looking fish.

      July 13, 2012 at 2:46 pm | Report abuse |
  2. drew

    I hope they overrun all of the waterways in China. Then they can get a taste of what they have done to us with their carp invasion!

    July 13, 2012 at 2:44 pm | Report abuse |
    • Ted Ruxpin

      did that to ourselves

      July 13, 2012 at 4:11 pm | Report abuse |
  3. reasonablebe

    and they think the piranhas wont kill off the native fish? what is wrong with people that they think its on or fun to let non-native species loose where they don't belong? is it the i'm different and the rules don't apply to me syndrome?

    July 13, 2012 at 2:48 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Katy Perry's TaTas

    We are both outraged by the nerve of those piranha thinking they could just enter China illegally, take up residence in a Chinese river and then then then have the audacity to bite of some little Chinese fingers. We are also outraged at some of the bras Katy covers us up with. First of all we are stunning perfect perky tatas and should be exposed as a gift to mankind.

    July 13, 2012 at 2:53 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Rush is safe

    While vacationing in China Mr Limmpballs was swimming in the Liujiang River when several piranha mistook him for a wild hog. The piranha attempted to bite his peenis off but were unable to find it amongst the large folds of lard that hangs over his lap.

    July 13, 2012 at 3:06 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Oxy Moron

    Hey Rusn you are such an Oxy Moron. Get off the dope and lose some weight man, it is for your own good.

    Bye Bye oxy moron man

    July 13, 2012 at 3:09 pm | Report abuse |
  7. BIGBARN

    Sorry, but the piranhas are not that big a deal. If there's enough already established, the ecosystem will change to accomodate them. The planet does not give a damn about immediate survival possibilities. Sit on the bank of the AuSable river in the high peaks of the Adirondacks...pick up a rock...it may be a billion years old. Ponder that.

    July 13, 2012 at 3:16 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Capt. Peachfuzz

    Would it be offensive for me to ask if the piranha were hungry 30 minutes after attacking the Chinese swimmers?

    July 13, 2012 at 3:20 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Andrey

    Not the first time they do that kind of stupid mistake. I guess they were hunting sparrows and killing by millions to preserve their rice crop – untill it was all eated by bugs. Too many people: properly motivated they can make huge damage!

    July 13, 2012 at 3:23 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Cindy

    Oh well

    July 13, 2012 at 3:47 pm | Report abuse |
  11. ns

    Well, China has piranhas, we have snakeheads, its an ecological mish mash,
    likely [as with zebra mussells] from ships taking on ballast water.

    July 13, 2012 at 3:48 pm | Report abuse |
    • Igottagetalife

      You really think the Piranha and snakehead problem is related to ballast water of ships? ROFL it's a symptom of the youth world wide that has to have the latest and greatest 'toys' then getting tired of it and 'throwing it a way'.

      July 15, 2012 at 12:25 pm | Report abuse |
    • Gas Predictor

      Piranha in ballast water? More likely released "pets."

      July 15, 2012 at 1:33 pm | Report abuse |
  12. 2tricky2

    Well serves em right, they are the main reason why African Animals are slaughtered for their ivory.

    July 13, 2012 at 3:57 pm | Report abuse |
    • BermudaTriangle

      And just about anything else they can cut up and shove down their throats....dogs, cats, bears, tigers, lions, sharks, whales, etc...

      July 13, 2012 at 5:08 pm | Report abuse |
    • Dr. Hemlock

      Not to mention bear paws, bear gall bladders, Rhino horns, snake venom sacks. All about the yang!

      July 16, 2012 at 12:55 pm | Report abuse |
  13. HIDE BEHIND

    China has far larger area of natural habitat set asides than any othet nation.
    China is one of largest purchacers within legal ivory trade and a signer to international org that governs.

    Most illegal ivory goes not to china but ME, Indonesia, Thailand and Laos where elephants are well protected and revered.
    While illegal ivory is sent to China it is a serious offence if caught.

    Formosa, Hong Kong, and Singspore compete for illegal ivory with Indonesia.

    The selling of rare tropical fish is estimated to be one of most lucrative illegal animal trades, into over a billion a yesr worldeide enterprise, and one of least regulated

    July 13, 2012 at 4:47 pm | Report abuse |
    • jqent

      Maybe if local restaurants could start offering piranha as a "rare prestige fish" that "boosts male potency," the river would be stripped clean of them in no time! Trouble is, smugglers would start bringing in more of them to meet the demand.

      July 13, 2012 at 5:23 pm | Report abuse |
    • Paris Sinclair

      I agree, it is something that I noticed looking at satellite pictures on Google Maps. China has big chunks of dark green all over the place between the built-up areas, and in between the lighter green farming areas.

      July 15, 2012 at 5:19 pm | Report abuse |
  14. disgustedvet

    These are the easiest type of piranha to breed in captivity. China has a rapidly growing ornamental fishes industry. In all likelyhood,these are not imports but domestic bred fishes that were released by natural disaster or humans who no longer wanted them as pets. Regardless,unless this area of China stays above 75 degrees or so year round,they will not survive nor breed.

    July 13, 2012 at 5:08 pm | Report abuse |
    • dentate

      Southern China is subtropical. Fair chance they'll breed.

      July 13, 2012 at 5:24 pm | Report abuse |
  15. chrissy

    Nothin like canoein the AuSable River, but sure am glad ive never seen pirahnas!

    July 13, 2012 at 5:11 pm | Report abuse |
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