Pacu (The Fish that will Eat Your Nuts)

[Piscator]

Read this online today-

"When biologists say the pacu fish eats nuts, they may be correct in more ways than one. The pacu, a toothy fish that can weigh up to 55 pounds, has been spotted in Lake Lou Yaeger in Illinois, KSDK reports. Responding to a report that a fisherman had reeled in a piranha on June 7, lake superintendent Jim Caldwell brought the fish to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, where it was identified as a pacu. Some reports say another pacu was seen a couple of weeks later. Caldwell said he is still swimming in the lake nearly every day. Pacus primarily eat nuts, aquatic vegetation and snails, he told KDSK, and pose no real threat to humans. Residents of Papua New Guinea may beg to differ. There, according to British fisherman Jeremy Wade, the pacu is known as the “ball cutter.” In 2011, Wade said locals informed him that two fisherman had died from blood loss after something in the water had bitten off their testicles, according to the Metro.

[WoodyCT]

I hate it when my testicles get bit off.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Fish_Eye]

I caught a number of Pacu while fishing in Brazil...up to 15 pounds. It was like fishing for tautog, as we were using fresh water crabs and you had to wait for the second bite as they passed the crab beyond their front row of human like teeth and into their gullet where they get crushed, then swallowed.

I even ran into three Brazilian Spearfishing Champions that were shooting them in the same water where large piranhas and caimans could be found. They are one of the greatest eating fish you can imagine...after all, they dine on crabs and coconuts....sweet! Pacu ribs are a local delicacy and the "gonad grabbing" sensationalism is par for the course with Jeremy.

[chaz]

an old friend of mine had one,it ate whatever was put in the tank,itjumped out and died one day,crazy mf

[RickBomba]

Yeah,
Chris S. used to sell Pacu Ribs at East Coast Grill in Cambridge. They were awesome.