MIKE PARKER PA FISH AND BOAT COMMISSION

In a bizarre incident that's all too familiar in Pennsylvania, a kid reeled in a piranha from a lake, leaving many wondering how this exotic fish ended up in the wild. This isn't the first time a strange creature has been spotted in the state's waterways, and it's a reminder of the importance of being mindful of the animals we keep as pets.

 PFBC spokesperson Mike Parker shares a story about the challenges of dealing with exotic pets that are often released into the wild when their owners can no longer care for them. It's a common problem that can have serious consequences, including the introduction of invasive species that can disrupt the local ecosystem. Parker highlights the case of the alligator that ended up in a Pennsylvania lake and the snakeheads that are still overpopulated in the state.

The conversation touches on the issue of invasive species and the difficulties of getting rid of them once they're established. The speaker notes that some species, like the snakeheads, are nearly impossible to eradicate, and that introducing them to the wild can have devastating effects on the native population. It's a timely reminder of the importance of being responsible pet owners and taking steps to prevent the release of non-native species into the wild.

If you're interested in learning more about this fascinating topic and the challenges of dealing with exotic pets, be sure to listen to this episode to hear the speaker's insights and experiences.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Seven fifty one. Mike Parker from the Pennsylvania Fish and
Boat Commission is on the phone. Good morning, sir, how
are you?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good morning, r JA doing very good. How are you good?

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Do you know that we were talking about you on
the air?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Did you know that I did not hear my ears ringing?
But it wouldn't you know, we've known each other a
long time. It wouldn't put you know, a long wa
surprise me.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Well, you're here because we were reading the story about
the kid who reeled in a piranha.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yeah, pretty amazing, Pretty amazing for you to hear. But
believe it or not, I get these kind of calls
pretty often about about about strange stuff that you know,
the people find, and it's you know, pretty common in
Pennsylvania for some reason, you know, every year or so.
I mean, you everybody remembers the one that ended up

(00:56):
a zoo America. But there was a there was an
alligator in Italian lake.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, yeah, years ago, Tony.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Yeah, I think I think it was a little toady yourself. Yeah,
but that was but that was kind of a rare case.
And the reason I highlight that one is because you know,
people do own exotic pets. It's there's there's no laws,
I'm sure you know, you know, there's really no law
against state law against owning some sort of exotic fish,
some some tropical fish, or even an alligator like a cayman,

(01:29):
you know, certain types of snakes. And the problem is
what ends up happening is people grow tired of owning
these things and then they either can't afford them, you know,
they get too big whatever they realized, oh, I thought
this thing would die like my goldfish that I got
at the you know, the fire carnival. And this thing
lives for thirty years and then they the kids, kids

(01:52):
go away to college, they come home for a while,
then they go off to work, and they have their
own families and this this this hat is still in
their house, you know, these parents anything. And that's just
a scenario. But in most cases, a couple of years
people have these pets and then they dump them. And
it's just like, you know, you wouldn't do that to
your dog or your cat, but they do them, you know,
pretty freely with other animals, especially like a fish. So yeah,

(02:16):
we are pretty confident it is definitely a piranha, and
we're pretty confident that someone just dumped it there. It
was their pet they didn't want anymore, and it was
an easy catch, and the kid and his dad did
the right thing. They got it out of there.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yeah. Yeah, well the kid was very bright. I mean,
I know he said that he knew what it was
right away because of YouTube. Any word on what it
tastes like, you know, I.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Don't, but but that is it's a good point. I
mean people say that all the time. You know, I
don't know what I believe me. I ate plenty of
catfish growing up, you know, up in Halifax and you
know along the Susquehanna River. We would eat them and stuff.
But I mean there's some people that might say that
they wouldn't eat things out of certain waterways. The best
thing you can do. I mean, there are invasive species

(03:09):
that have taken over. Yeah, some of the some of
the invasive species you might be familiar with, like, uh,
you know, this one's a little different. Let me let
me let me preface that by telling you, like an
alligator or a piranha, they are they're not going to
survive a Pennsylvania winter, right, So this was a this
was a temporary problem to begin with. But it could
have caused it could have caused somebody injury or disrupted

(03:30):
the ecosystem for for a short time. But there are
other ones that that persist and they and so when
you put something in the water, if it's not supposed
to be there, it can take off and it can
cause you know, a boost in that dish's population. Uh,
it can look at what's happening in the Florida Everglades
with those you know, with the pythons exactly, you know

(03:51):
they're not supposed to be there, but but here they are.
They're they're everywhere. Now, Oh, we have that in Pennsylvania
to with like snakeheads. I was just going to ask
you about the snakehead are we are we getting rid
of them? Are they still like overpopulated? Yeah, there's really
no getting rid of them. So I mean, certainly, certainly,
if you had them in a small waterway, you know,
like a pond or something where you know, you knew

(04:12):
there was a couple of them and you were able
to get them out of there, that would be a
good chance. But it's that that story is sort of
open and closed in the But.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
We're getting to the we're getting to the end here.
Unfortunately the music's kind of run. But that just showcases
why we don't want invasive species because they there's no
getting rid of some.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Of them long term. That's the big issue for some.
If you introduce them, they could they could wipe out
or really disrupt the natives. Short term minimum, you could
be introducing disease even with one in one fit, So
keep them out of there.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
Mike Parker, you're the man. It's great to hear your
voice today, and we'll have to call you again.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
Soon anytime or Jay, Thanks, Olly Yah.

Speaker 1 (04:53):
Take care, have a good weekend, all right. Seven fifty
six four to go to Lady Clock. The news is
lives take tight.