Oklahoma boy catches exotic fish in neighborhood pond: 'Human-like teeth'
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Yueke
Mon, Jul 8, 2024
PHOTO: Yueke
An 11-year-old Oklahoma native has reeled in a fish that is most certainly not native to Oklahoma.
Charlie Clinton of Edmond, Oklahoma, caught an exotic, invasive fish known as the Pacu, a freshwater fish related to the carnivorous piranha. It's a South American fish, native to the Amazon.
The boy caught the fish on July 16, according to the Facebook page of Janna Clinton, the 11-year-old’s mother.
Charlie Clinton caught the exotic fish in a pond behind the family’s house, one of the primary places he goes fishing when in Oklahoma, he told Fox News Digital.
He said he was in shock when he first saw what he caught.
"I first thought it was a giant sunfish but then realized it had teeth," Charlie Clinton shared.
"I started screaming for my mom to come look at the fish."
The boy was still unsure of what he'd caught, since he had never seen anything like this type of fish before.
All he knew was that "it didn’t belong in the pond."
The strong-jawed Pacu "put up a pretty good fight," the 11-year-old noted, before he released the fish back into the pond.
He caught the invasive fish in a "catch and release pond," but did not know what the species was at the time or that it should have been kept and removed from its location.
No one has caught the South American fish since Charlie Clinton first reeled it in, as far as the family knows, but he hopes he is the one to nab it once again.
When Charlie Clinton pulled the fish out of the pond, he thought his discovery was "pretty crazy and nobody would believe [him]," he said.
Janna Clinton was on the porch watching her son fish at the neighborhood pond as he reeled in his unusual discovery.
"I was excited for him … I took pictures for him and was just in absolute shock," Janna Clinton told Fox News Digital.
"I have never seen a fish like that in my life, so it was pretty alarming to see something with human-like teeth."
Charlie Clinton has been frequenting the pond in his backyard since his family moved to Edmond and has been fishing since he was three years old, his mother said.
This catch was exciting for the 11-year-old, but it is believed the fish illegally made its way into the water — although this is not the first time a Pacu has been found in a rural Oklahoma pond.
"We do get a report every few years," Kelly Adams, the communication and education supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, told Fox News Digital.
"We think people acquire these fish for their aquarium and release them once they get too big, which is illegal."
The non-native fish in the wild can pose a threat to species native to the area by competing for both the habitat and nearby resources, Adams continued.
The Pacu can grow up to three feet in length and weigh as much as 65 pounds, but is not a threat to humans, unlike the closely related piranha, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.
If you find yourself needing to relocate an exotic creature, contact a local shelter or your state wildlife department to learn how best to relocate the animal, reptile, or fish.
Charlie Clinton of Edmond, Oklahoma, caught an exotic, invasive fish known as the Pacu, a freshwater fish related to the carnivorous piranha. It's a South American fish, native to the Amazon.
The boy caught the fish on July 16, according to the Facebook page of Janna Clinton, the 11-year-old’s mother.
Charlie Clinton caught the exotic fish in a pond behind the family’s house, one of the primary places he goes fishing when in Oklahoma, he told Fox News Digital.
He said he was in shock when he first saw what he caught.
"I first thought it was a giant sunfish but then realized it had teeth," Charlie Clinton shared.
"I started screaming for my mom to come look at the fish."
The boy was still unsure of what he'd caught, since he had never seen anything like this type of fish before.
All he knew was that "it didn’t belong in the pond."
The strong-jawed Pacu "put up a pretty good fight," the 11-year-old noted, before he released the fish back into the pond.
He caught the invasive fish in a "catch and release pond," but did not know what the species was at the time or that it should have been kept and removed from its location.
No one has caught the South American fish since Charlie Clinton first reeled it in, as far as the family knows, but he hopes he is the one to nab it once again.
When Charlie Clinton pulled the fish out of the pond, he thought his discovery was "pretty crazy and nobody would believe [him]," he said.
Janna Clinton was on the porch watching her son fish at the neighborhood pond as he reeled in his unusual discovery.
"I was excited for him … I took pictures for him and was just in absolute shock," Janna Clinton told Fox News Digital.
"I have never seen a fish like that in my life, so it was pretty alarming to see something with human-like teeth."
Charlie Clinton has been frequenting the pond in his backyard since his family moved to Edmond and has been fishing since he was three years old, his mother said.
This catch was exciting for the 11-year-old, but it is believed the fish illegally made its way into the water — although this is not the first time a Pacu has been found in a rural Oklahoma pond.
"We do get a report every few years," Kelly Adams, the communication and education supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, told Fox News Digital.
"We think people acquire these fish for their aquarium and release them once they get too big, which is illegal."
The non-native fish in the wild can pose a threat to species native to the area by competing for both the habitat and nearby resources, Adams continued.
The Pacu can grow up to three feet in length and weigh as much as 65 pounds, but is not a threat to humans, unlike the closely related piranha, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.
If you find yourself needing to relocate an exotic creature, contact a local shelter or your state wildlife department to learn how best to relocate the animal, reptile, or fish.
A Virginia man caught a fish that’s so rare, it was recognized by state wildlife officials.
Retired veteran John Byrd, of Bowling Green, Virginia, reeled in an 11.5-inch blue-mouth chain pickerel from a 14-acre pond, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR).
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Chain pickerel inhabit various bodies of water in Virginia, though usually, the species has yellow to green scales, the DWR explained in a blog post on Thursday, July 13.
Photos of the chain pickerel that Byrd caught show the fish appears to have a vibrant blue mouth while its scales were alternating shades of blue, green, and yellow.
"I’d never seen one that color," Byrd told the Virginia DWR in a statement.
He went on to say he’s gone "fishing in that pond for more than 20 years."
Byrd reportedly contacted the Virginia DWR about his catch and got in touch with Scott Herrmann, the agency’s regional fisheries biologist.
Herrmann confirmed that Byrd caught an "extremely rare" chain pickerel with a "wild genetic pigment mutation," according to the Virginia DWR.
"It pretty much falls into the category of catches," Herrmann said in a statement.
"The normal coloration expressed in the green of a chain pickerel is from the xanthins of the yellow pigments," he continued. "Blue pickerel express the rare mutation that is axanthic."
Aside from the color, Herrmann said the pickerel appears to be normal.
Byrd used a Whopper Plopper to catch the rare fish, and he’s planning on keeping his catch, according to the Virginia DWR.
The wildlife agency’s blog notes that chain pickerel are "native" to Virginia and can be found in various bodies of water.
Chain pickerel are a long and slim freshwater fish that have a dark, almost black coloration when they’re young, and then their scales usually turn to a yellow-green as they grow, according to the Virginia DWR.
The species reportedly got its name because they have a "chain-like pattern of black lines" expressed on their bodies.
"Pickerels have fully scaled cheeks and gill covers," the Virginia DWR wrote. "The blue-mouth mutation has been reported in chain pickerel in Maryland and Pennsylvania, but is quite rare."
The Virginia DWR’s chain pickerel information profile states that the "best time" to fish for pickerel is from October to March, when water temperatures are between 55- and 70-degrees Fahrenheit.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that chain pickerel can be primarily found throughout "the Atlantic slope from southwest Maine to southern Florida," but some have also been found in the Mississippi River basin, upland streams in southeastern Missouri, eastern Texas, and parts of the Gulf Coast.
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