Recently, red piranha (Serrasalmus nattereri), which is originated
in South America and atrocity by nature, is found spreading in
Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Traders on
the pet market say there is a great demand for this killing fish,
but ecologists believe they would bring an ecological crisis to the
local biosphere.
The Flowers and Birds Market located on Yuanhu Road is the biggest
of its kind in Nanning City. Many fish shops here are selling Red
Piranha, not openly, but secretly. The fishmongers put some red
piranhas in the fish tank as showcase and ask the passers-by in low
voices if they want one. As this special species of fish is in
great demand, they charge as high as 30 yuan(US$3.6) for each,
though all the red piranhas sold here are small fry of four or five
centimeters long. One of the fishmongers says his fish was bought
from Guanzhou and transported to Nanning by road and waterway. A
booth like his can sell more than 10 fish each day. Some shops even
sell out 90 red piranhas in four or five days.
Red piranha is a fish living in the Amazon River in South America.
Since it is such a threatening creature, the local people referred
it as "wolf in the water." In the Amazon area, people usually throw
beef to the river to draw away the "wolves in the water" before
they cross the river. When a herdsman takes his herd across the
river, he has to drive a weak cattle into the river first to feed
the fish so as to make sure the other cattle will not be attacked.
In Mato Grosso, a state of Brazil, 1,200 cattle are eaten by red
piranha every year. Children playing in the river and women washing
clothes by the riverside are often attacked by the fish.
Nanning Marine World welcomed its new members, red piranhas, on
September 24, 2002. In the aquarium, people saw with their
surprised eyes how a grass carp of several kilograms was eaten up
by a group of red piranhas in seven or eight centimeters in a few
minutes. The aquarium manager introduced that these red piranhas
are cruel and ferocious. Their IQ is higher than other fish. They
have their own strategy while attacking other fish. Firstly, one or
two of them would chase and bite the quarry's eyes and tail. When
it cannot move anymore, all other red piranhas in the group flock
over. It is said that this is the first aquarium to show red
piranha to the public in China.
When this reporter showed the fish he had bought from a fish stall
at the Yuanhu Flowers and Birds Market, the technician identified
it as a red piranha, the same species of those raised in the
aquarium.
Guangxi located in the tropical zone has favorable climate and
natural environment for red piranha. Mr. Zhou Fang, researcher of
the Zoology Institute in Guangxi University, said with a heavy
heart that Nanning's climate and natural environment are similar to
that of the Amazon valley. Once the fish worm its way into the
Yijiang River of Guangxi, the result will be disastrous and its
fresh water ecology will be destroyed. In order to explain the harm
which may be bought by red piranha to the safety of the ecology,
Zhou Jie, engineer of Guangxi Fishery Environment Inspection
Center, gave some examples. Plecostumus (Plecostomus punctatus)
were once introduced into China as Ashman in the water. Because of
its low cost, the fish was easily abandoned later. Now, plecostumus
are found in many rivers and ditches and some of them have grown as
big as over one kilogram. Plecostumus has also brought problems to
Taiwan, where they destroyed the balance of the ecology. With no
natural enemy in the rivers and a strong reproducing ability, they
eventually became a big fish tribe in the rivers, greatly cutting
off the number of other species.
Now it's time for Guangxi to adopt practical measures to protect
its biosphere. Departments of environment, fishery, and aquatic
request Nanning Marine World to reinforce its safety equipment and
check the fish number regularly. Every death of its red piranhas
must be reported to relevant department to keep an accurate record
of the killing fish.
Leading officials of the administrative bureau of industry and
commerce said they are determined to thoroughly investigate the
issues of illegal red piranha trading and tighten their control to
ensure the ecology balance in all corners of Guangxi.
(china.org.cn, translated by Wu Nanlan, November 7, 2002)