Piranha fish found in Godavari river

A standout amongst the most feared fish on the planet, the red-bellied piranha, has thought that it was’ way into the Godavari waterway in Andhra Pradesh. Piranhas are a local of crisp water waterways which course through South American countries like Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela. Albeit red-bellied piranhas are not “man-eaters”, there have been numerous reports of assaults on people. The fish has well sharpened sharp teeth and according to exploratory reports, they have a tendency to gnaw off substance from people, more often than not, when there is a shortage of nourishment in the stream they live.

Piranhas were first reported near the Dowleswaram barrage in Rajahmundry last year by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun. There have been several sightings of the fish since then. The fish has also been spotted being sold in the market for consumption. Shaik Salauddin of Deccan Anglers came across the fish at a fish seed farm in Akividu, West Godavari.

He says, “After talking to the locals, we came to know that it was quite commonly found in the region and the locals call this fish ‘Roop Chand’. We also sighted the fish in the Krishna river. I found the fish being sold by a woman at a fish market in Uppal as well.” Presence of piranhas in Godavari has raised alarm among conservationists.