Exotic fish caught in lake near Marysville

John Denton hoped to catch a perch or bluegill on Sunday when he cast his line into Lake Ki, northwest of Marysville.

What he caught was something entirely different.

“Bang, there it was,” Denton said. “It’s a pretty big fish, a big ol’ herking fish.”

The fish he pulled out of the water was what looks like a pacu, an omnivorous South American freshwater fish that’s related to the piranha. The pacu is not nearly as ferocious as its cousin — it eats mainly fruit and vegetables and is known as the vegetarian piranha.

Like their cousins, pacu do have big teeth.

Denton’s fish weighs about four to five pounds and it took him about 20 minutes to reel it onto the dock in his back yard. He was using a worm and a hook known as a wedding ring.

By the time he got it into his net, his whole neighborhood came to see what was happening.

“Every neighbor I never met in this cul-de-sac I met yesterday,” Denton said.

One of the neighbors used to work at an aquarium and said he believed the fish was a pacu.

“Obviously it’s outgrown someone’s fish tank and they threw it in,” Denton said. “I don’t know how long it’s been there; it’s a big fish for an aquarium.”

Denton, 40, who’s a commercial painter for Mehrer Drywall, kept the fish alive by keeping it in a cooler of water: “My neighbor’s daughter kept pouring water in there all the time.”

Denton’s wife works at the Tulalip Cabela’s, where they have large fish tanks in the back of the store. Cabela’s agreed to hold on to the fish until the Washington Department of Fish &Wildlife could give them direction on what to do.

Katie Sanford, Cabela’s retail marketing manager, said the fish was still doing its fishy things on Monday afternoon. She said they had been doing some research on what it needs and what it eats.

“It looks like a really cute fish until it opens its mouth and you see its teeth,” Sanford said.

People have caught the pacu in lakes around Snohomish County, said Jeff Holmes, of Fish &Wildlife. In 1994, an 18-inch pacu was pulled out of Silver Lake in Everett.

“They’re a warm water fish and the odds of them establishing a population here are very low, if not impossible,” Holmes said.

Holmes said a biologist will confirm whether the fish is a pacu. He noted that pacu have recently been featured on the popular cable show “River Monsters” and that may be shading people’s opinions.

Mike Kirkham, a manager at The Fish Store, a Seattle aquarium and tropical fish business, saw photos of the fish and said he believes it is a pacu.

He’s been at the store for a decade and has heard several stories of people finding pacu in lakes in the Puget Sound area. The warm water fish can’t survive Northwest winters.

“In the fall, they tend to just die and float to the surface,” Kirkham said.

The fish can grow up to three or four feet long. He urged people against dumping unwanted pacu into waters around here. Instead, they should call pet shops or post advertisements to get rid of the unwanted pets. He said his shop doesn’t sale sell pacus, red-tail catfish or oscars because those species grow too large, making them prone to dumping.

For Denton, the fish created a keeper of a story.

“It was a pretty amazing experience,” Denton said. “I’ll never forget it.”

Jim Davis; 425-339-3097; jdavis@heraldnet.com

What are pacu?

Pacu are omnivorous South American freshwater fish that are related to the piranha. They have square, straight teeth that resemble a human’s. They can grow to 3 feet long and 55 pounds in the wild – much larger than a piranha.

Pacu are often sold as “Vegetarian Piranhas” to home aquarium owners. A pacu named Swish lived for two decades in a tank at a restaurant in Seattle’s International District.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Paine Field firefighters load up a Cessna 337 Skymaster after a rough landing on the main runway Thursday at Paine Field. (Courtesy of Paine Field)
None injured after Cessna plane ‘landed hard’ at Paine Field

The incident came weeks after another Cessna plane crashed near Mukilteo.

People walk during low tide at Picnic Point Park on Sunday, March 3, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington.(Annie Barker / The Herald)
71 in Everett? In March? Summer arrives early — just before spring

Western Washingtonians can expect an unseasonably warm weekend of sunshine. Then, it’s back to regular spring programming.

A site of a future park near the corner of Alvord St. and Petty Ave. on Thursday, March 7, 2024 in Darrington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
After years waiting, Darrington may finally get park with river access

Residents could explore over 30 acres of land in the future Sauk Park. Nonprofit support is making the project possible.

Danny Simpson's 1977 F-250 truck after crashing into a gravel pit owned by his parents. (Photo provided by court documents)
Tulalip man given intermittent prison time for crash that killed friend

Danny Simpson was sentenced to three days per week for a year after backing his truck off a cliff into a gravel pit, killing Anthony Craig.

Snohomish County election staff Carolyn Thostenson, left, and Chris Faith, right, collect ballots from a drop box next to the Mill Creek Post Office on Friday, March 8, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Results of Washington’s 2024 presidential primary election

Delegates are allocated by votes in each of the state’s 10 congressional districts.

Snohomish County election staff Carolyn Thostenson, left, and Chris Faith, right, collect ballots from a drop box next to the Mill Creek Post Office on Friday, March 8, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Biden, Trump win Snohomish County support; ‘uncommitted’ makes mild showing

In Tuesday’s presidential primary election, about 6.7% of local Democrats had voted for “Uncommitted Delegates.”

Lily Gladstone and Josh Ryder in 2004 Mountlake Terrace High School yearbook photo as "Most Likely to Win an Oscar." (Submitted photo)
Despite no Oscar, Mountlake Terrace still plans Lily Gladstone tribute

Voted “Most Likely to Win an Oscar” as a duo in high school, both Lily Gladstone and Josh Ryder are still without a statue. But “she’s not done.”

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.