
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown told the media that Rakower was "driven by greed and without regard for the health and safety of people or the environment."īut Rakower's lawyer told Newsday that Rakower had been in the wholesale tropical fish supply business for 30 years and that he made an error in judgment and is now paying for it.įollow Brian Clark Howard on Twitter and Google+. In his plea, Rakower agreed to pay more than $70,000 in fines and restitution, and his company will get two years of probation. In December 2012, one piranha species, the black piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus), was recognized for having the strongest bite, pound for pound, among living fish. There are some that grow to 80 cm, and their average weight is about 10 lbs across the different species of the fish. Although Piranhas are feared to be ferocious predators, they are small to medium sized fish which generally grow to around 30cm. (Watch: " World's Deadliest: Piranhas Devour Chick.") Fact 4 The Piranha is a Medium Sized Fish. states because of the danger they can pose to people.Īlthough piranhas might not be quite as fierce as Teddy Roosevelt thought in 1913, they can still inflict nasty bites on people. There are about 20 known species, and the fish are illegal or restricted in 25 U.S.

Piranhas are aggressive, territorial freshwater fish with sharp teeth they are native to South America. They sometimes use their mighty mouths to gobble up other fish or animals such as. (Watch: " Wild Justice: Piranha Crackdown.") Fish Red-Bellied Piranha ON THE HUNT Red-bellied piranhas live in lakes and rivers in South America. Best Overall-Piscifun Fish Lip Gripper 4. New York City prohibits possession of piranhas, and the federal Lacey Act prohibits importing of wildlife and plants that are deemed illegal. Best Fish Lip Gripper We Will Cover Today.

In his plea, Rakower said his Queens-based company, Transship Discounts, bought the sharp-toothed fish from a Hong Kong tropical fish supplier and told the supplier to falsely label them as "silver tetras," a popular and nonaggressive aquarium fish. (Read: " 6 Bizarre Animal Smuggling Busts.") Joel Rakower, 66, entered his plea in federal court in Brooklyn for alleged offenses from 2011 to 2012, when he said he smuggled 39,548 piranhas, worth $37,376.

On Wednesday a New York City man pleaded guilty to smuggling nearly 40,000 piranhas into the city illegally. Talk about taking a bite out of the Big Apple. The puffer, which is also called swellfish, or blowfish, is any member of a group of about 90 species of fishes of the family Tetraodontidae, noted for their ability when disturbed to inflate themselves so greatly with air and water that they become globular in form.
