The piranha had been put on the banned list of imported aquatic species by Chinese customs, and its illegal importation would incur fines of at least 50 thousand yuan (6.25 thousand US dollars), said the department.

A source from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture said a campaign to eliminate piranhas had been carried out nationwide, and so far most had been wiped out from Chinese public and private aquatic markets.

Piranhas, a native of South American, were initially introducedfrom Brazil and Hong Kong as an attraction in Chinese ocean amusement parks, with the first introduction dating back to 1985 by the Dalian Ocean Amusement Park, said the ministry source.

Due to a lack of natural prey or restraints, the piranha could breed in large numbers in a very short period of time and destroy the ecological balance in China's lakes or rivers, said a Chinese fish expert.

It could be a real threat to the natural survival of fish in the Yellow River, the expert said in response to a recent report that piranha had arrived in the Yellow River.

China is a member of the convention on biological diversity and has also passed several domestic laws regulating the importation of alien plants and animals, but the laws do not specifically monitor the importation of piranha-like species that pose a huge potential threat to China's natural environment.

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2002)