A seriously unattractive fish known as the “Pacu” has apparently somehow wound up in the waters off Scandinavia – and with some unpleasant results, to say the least. There are three primary points here:

(1) The Pacu most commonly lives in the Amazon River so, from an environmental standpoint, the organism’s ability to successfully transition itself into one of our planets most radically different ecosystems is indeed rather impressive.

(2) The Pacu is “normally vegetarian” – NORMALLY being the opperative word here . . . For example, consider the following: “The pacu is not normally dangerous to people but it has quite a serious bite. There have been incidents in other countries, where some men have had their testicles bitten off,” Henrik Carl, one of [Sweden’s] fish experts, told Sweden’s The Local.“They bite because they’re hungry, and testicles sit nicely in their mouth.”

I’m quite certain that’s one of the least reassuring statements I’ve ever read. EVER.

(3) This represents a phenomenon that is in no way limited to Scandinavia – or this particular fish. The reason we’re seeing invasive species showing up in unexpected places (pythons  emerging from suburban Florida toilets, the now legendary SNAKEHEAD, etc…) is due entirely to human activity. The (usually) illegal, and almost always unwise practice of transporting animals far from their natural habitats, either as pets, source of exotic food (in the case of the snakehead) or to potentially control local ecological problems, is having real repercussions. And, as noted, these are not – let me repeat, NOT - repercussions you want anywhere near your “bait and tackle…”

Sadly, this is no “Sharknado” folks. This is all too real. Next time I’m swimming off the Swedish coast, I know I’ll be taking every precaution available.

[“Scandinavian Swimmers Warned About Testicle-Attacking Monster Fish,” Gawker.com, 8/10/2013]