Chinese Fishermen Hunt Piranha

[AsahinaKimi]

Piranha attack on Chinese man sparks fishing frenzy, Fishermen flock to Chinese city for bounty in 'people's war against the piranha' piranhas, which are native to the South American waters of the Amazon, have come to the Chinese city of Liuzhou, has compelled local authorities to offer a $150 reward to anyone who can land one of the fish, any way they can.

Amateur fishermen have flocked to the city, in the southern autonomous region of Guangxi, to take part in the hunt. Issued fishing poles and doled out portions of meat for bait, these sport fishermen have been warmly encouraged to perch up on the banks of the Liujiang River to take a stab at hooking the beasts.

Dozens of experienced local fishermen have also been hired by the city government and relevant departments to trawl the river -- normally forbidden by city ordinance -- in a dragnet that has run systematically through the river.

Though the piranhas are not native to the region, ancient Chinese fishing techniques have been employed to hook the foreign invaders. Fishermen in Liuzhou were using banzeng, a system in which a net baited with one and a half pounds of pork is suspended from a series of bamboo poles and alternatively lowered 11 inches into the water and raised every 10 minutes.

Local media noted that the fishermen operating the four banzeng were operating them on 24-hour watches, dutifully fighting what some Chinese microbloggers have dubbed "the people's war against the piranha."

Bitten while bathing his dog


***comments from Youtube poster.