Exotic fish dumped in Lake Monroe illegally

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – An Indiana Department of Natural Resources official knew just what to do with a South American fish that was caught after being dumped in Lake Monroe. He ate it.  
Rex Watters said the fish tasted good, but it didn’t belong in Lake Monroe.
The fish was a red belly pacu, often mistaken for a piranha. The toothy 4-pound fish apparently called someone’s aquarium home before it was illegally dumped in the lake.
The fish was caught Wednesday morning by two friends hoping to catch catfish. The men turned the fish over to the DNR when they didn’t recognize the species.
Officials say the fish likely would not have survived the Indiana winter.