Educate people on piranha dispute

I'm the fellow Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife was talking about in that Feb. 3 article on page 3 News-Review, titled "Senate takes a bite at proposed piranha ban."

Roy Elicker (ODFW) stated, "there was less fear of widespread attacks from piranha accidents than the confusing hassle for the agency." He further stated, "Every year there's a rash of phone calls," "This piranha thing is driving us crazy."

Here is your solution, Mr. Elicker: legalize them all. They've been legal since 1995. Your so-called vegetarian piranhas are pacus (genus Colossoma). The very same species you do want to legalize and they have been dumped in our rivers, not just in Oregon but throughout the entire USA. If you really want to do something worthwhile, educate people, not fear monger.

Using ODFW formula for resolving issues, we might as well ban cars because a few run stop signs or break speed limits. And cars kill people. There are no records of piranha doing that in South America, just public hysteria here in the USA.

Frank Magallanes

Roseburg