With a relative of the piranha being found in an Illinois lake, an expert shares the protocol here in Iowa for such a circumstance.

Fisheries Biologist Chad Dolan shares that if there is an isolated incident the DNR will identify the species and freeze it and if it’s deemed a concern they would go back and see if there are more.

According to Dolan the Pacu fish found in Illinois was most likely a pet that became too big for the owner to care for. He notes that he’s run into a similar circumstance, a fisherman came to his office and showed him pictures of a fish he caught near the dam at Keokuk, and it was later identified as a Tiger Oscar. Both the Pacu and Tiger Oscar are popular in the pet trade.