Mini Loch Ness Monster...from Costa Rica
THEY are not an uncommon sight in the lakes in Central America. But two ‘aggressive and territorial’ fish native to Costa Rica and Honduras have surfaced in the chilly waters of the River Ness.
The Jaguar cichlids need warm waters to survive and would normally be kept in an aquarium in the UK. Sadly, they did not fare too well in the Scottish climate.
A member of the Inverness Angling Club discovered the fish in the River Ness on Sunday. One was already dead while the other was dying.
The Ness Fishery Board said that the cichlids – which were 5.5in and 3.5in long – could still have posed a disease risk to native fish species.
The River Ness flows from Loch Ness to the sea at Inverness.
The river system’s native species include salmon, trout and large European eels, the latter having been suggested as a possible explanation for the Loch Ness Monster
legend. Jaguar cichlids, which can grow to 16in in length, normally feed on worms and insects. However, they have been known to feed on other fish.
A Ness Fishery Board spokesman said: ‘Our first thoughts from the description given on the telephone were that they might be perch, common across much of the UK but not native to the Ness system.
‘They are likely to have outgrown their tank and been released by the owner.
‘These fish are common in the aquarium trade as pets and it is likely that someone has decided to release them into the wild.
If so, this is highly irresponsible and anyone looking to release unwanted pet fish into local rivers and lochs is urged to find alternatives as this can have a devastating impact on native species.’
He added: ‘They would not survive long in the cold waters of the Ness.’