<i>Dangerous piranha on sale in Tangail </i>

5 September 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Tangail

Foreign fish piranha, a dangerous predator when attacking in large numbers, is now available in different markets in Tangail district where it sells as 'Thai Rupchanda'.Photo: STAR

Carnivorous piranha is openly selling as Thai Rupchanda at different fish markets in 12 upazilas of Tangail district although there is a ban on import, sale and farming of the dangerous fish native to South American rivers including the Amazon. With its sharp teeth and voracious appetite for meat, the small freshwater fish is a dangerous predator when attacking any animal in a group. A team from the Fisheries Department led by Upazila Fisheries Officer Mohammad Emdadul Haque on Tuesday seized 69 piranha weighing about 40kg from a market at Nagarpur upazila sadar, sources said. Due to lax monitoring by the authorities concerned and absence of awareness campaign, the fish is gaining popularity as an 'eatable' item as a section of unscrupulous fish traders are selling it at Tk 120 per kg, sources said. “Most of the supply of piranha come from Sirajganj and Bogra districts,” several piranha traders at Karatia market in Sadar upazila told this correspondent. "We sell the fish as middle class people like it. We do not know about any restriction on sale of this fish as no one has told this," they said.