piranha legality in the US

Question ? Are piranha fish legal to purchase and keep in the United States, specifically Nevada.

 

http://www.kencofish.com/states.htm

Looks like they're illegal in Nevada.

-Chelle

 

Is that because they can live in the waters down there?

 

Probably. I think that's what some of the illegal states base it on.

-Chelle

 

Hi mike521, The general ruling is that if the water stays warm enough for them to survive the winter they are illeagle to keep. However, many of the states in the colder regions have outlawed them on the off chance of an unusually warm winter where they could survive or the possibility of underwater structure that would allow warm pockets to develop where they could survive the winter. I don't know if they still provide this or not but several years ago you could apply for a permit from the Fish and Wildlife Department to keep them as a collector. To be honest though everyone that I have known that has gone through the permit process has sworn that they would never do that again because of all the conditions. Here are just a few of the main conditions. The Fish and Wildlife Department will periodically check on the fish. If one of the fish die you have to freeze it until a Warden can come out and verify the death and pick up the fish. If your fish spawn you have to report how many fry hatched which will be verified by a Warden and the fry will be removed and destroyed. If any of the fry die you must freeze them also until a Warden can come out to verify the deaths and remove them.

 

Wow that sounds like a pain