Piranha - Deadly and Delicious
by Larry M. Lynch
The Amazon is filled with danger.
Soldier ants march by the millions devouring all life in their path. Submerged
up to the eyes, Crocodiles lie in wait for the unwary - whatever or whoever
that may be. Undulating its 20-foot length beneath the surface, the Anaconda,
one of the world's largest snakes, uses heat-seeking guidance to find its
next meal. The barbed stinger in the tail of platter-sized stingrays can
inflict a wound that takes months to heal. But none of these carry the
fearsome mystique of the voracious Piranha, the perfect killing machine.
They had it even before we
knew what was happening. My rod bowed in prayer to something below the
tea-colored water's surface. The six-pound test line danced like a cat
on a hot pavement. All hell had broken loose. Beads of sweat rolled down
Doris' back. Her clothes were now a second skin, clinging to her every
move. We panted for breath. We had fish on. The silvery oval-shaped body
and red belly of a Piranha broke the surface. I reached for it. "Don't
let a finger get near their mouths or you'll lose it", our native guide
barked.
Minutes earlier, I shuddered
from a breeze escaping from somewhere up ahead despite 85 degree-plus heat.
The double-digit humidity didn't help either. A maddening buzz filled my
ears, but thanks my coating of Vick's Vapor Rub, the blood-suckers wouldn't
feast on me. My eyes burned. My nose dripped. A coffee-table-sized leaf
or hanging branch slapped into me every few steps. Curses burst from my
lips even with my best efforts to become as one with the rainforest, as
the indian had.
Our fishing rods extended
from 18" to five and a half feet. I'd hoped the light mono would suffice,
although I'd squirreled away spools of twelve and twenty pound test as
an afterthought. If we tagged into a 50-plus pound Tambaqui even that wouldn't
be enough. Vines as thick as my wrist dipped into light coffee-colored
waters making little ripples as it slid past roots and fallen branches.
Tangled growth matted the gentle slope of the bank into tea-with-milk colored
wetness. I'd flicked a thumbnail-sized chunk of bloody chicken liver on
a barb-less hook with a split shot into a dinner plate-sized swirl just
beside a snarl of mangrove roots jutting upwards through the surface.
Minutes later, his tanned
skin gleaming with moisture, our guide demonstrated the efficiency of the
scissor-like teeth. A green leaf held near the gaping mouth instantly sported
a neat, crescent-shaped bite. Three heavy blows to the head prepared the
killer for cleaning. After cleaning, the Embera made a series of diagonal
cuts along each side of the fish. Into these he carefully rubbed a mixture
of salt, garlic, and ground roots from a small gourd he carried. A simple
shaved branch frame held the fish over a smoky fire of glowing coals. The
firm toasted flesh tasted smooth and a bit earthy, like a seasoned and
mellowed catfish. With a wink and a sly nod towards Doris he said. "Make
these heads into soup and you will need many wives". She glanced at me
with a puzzled look. I smiled.
Ranging through South America
from Brazil to the lowlands of Peru, they also inhabit waters in Venezuela,
Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. In the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers
of Brazil and the Orinoco River in Venezuela, no creature is safe from
the Piranha's razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws. The serrated teeth fit
together like scissors, enabling Piranha to cut the flesh from their prey.
Like a shark, a Piranha's teeth are replaceable, when one breaks off a
new one grows in its place.
The Yagua Indians of Peru
often use the sharp edges between the teeth of a Piranha jawbone to sharpen
the point of their blowgun darts. A fish that is dying or swimming erratically
will be quickly attacked by a large school. Piranha will also attack without
warning to defend their eggs and territory. A wounded animal that strays
into the water will be stripped to the bone so quickly it seems almost
to "dance" on the surface as it's ravaged from beneath. A bird that falls
into the water will be gone, feathers and all, in three minutes or less.
A trapped fish struggling in a net will be chewed clean to the head in
a matter of seconds. Attacks on large animals and humans are often dramatically
portrayed, but are rare. In some regions Piranha are known as "donkey castrators".
"They will rend and devour
alive any wounded man or beast." U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt said, adding,
"Piranha are the most ferocious fish in the world." Piranha, also called
Caribe or Piraya only furthered their fearsome mystique when Roosevelt
encountered them during his exploits in 1914. There are about 35 known
species of Piranha but only five species represent a danger to man. Species
range from the Red-Belly Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) with its characteristic
red belly to the largest of the carnivorous species, the Black Piranha
with its demon-red eyes and a 17 and a half inch long dark body weighing
up to ten pounds. It could remove a man's hand in two or three bites.
Most species dine on fruit
or seeds that fall into the water from overhanging trees. The fish are
not always aggressive. Women wash clothes in knee-deep water where men
spearfish while children bathe or swim in these same Piranha-infested waters
without harm. Further adding to the Piranha's mystique, Indian men with
half a dozen wives and up to a score of children attribute their potency
to Piranha-head soup, although no scientific justification for the soup's
potency yet exists.
Fishing for Piranha
Piranhas are usually part of
indigenous peoples diet in the areas where the fish are found. All you
need to go Piranha fishing are lines with a metal leader next to the hook
so the fish doesn't bite through the line, a supply of red, raw meat (worms
or cut-up fish will do too) and a bit of luck. Piranha swim in large schools
and are attracted by movement and blood. In May of 1999, hundreds of anglers
armed with rods, reels, and raw steak flocked to the Brazilian town of
Aracatuba near Sao Paolo for a one-Sunday piranha fishing tournament. The
townspeople had declared open season on the flesh-eating fish, which had
decimated other species in the local river. The prize for the tournament
was an outboard motor. But "most fishermen were content to go home with
plenty of the reputedly aphrodisiac piranha", claimed then town spokesman
Nelson Custidio.
Piranha, earning their notorious
reputation by reportedly killing 1,200 head of cattle every year in Brazil,
is some of the best eating in South America. Whatever name you call them
and no matter where you try them, when cooked in a variety of ways, their
firm light flesh with its smooth, slightly nutty flavor, is a taste you're
sure to enjoy.
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