Back to school shopping? Inspectors from the Agriculture Ministry caught on Sunday a predatory fish that had been found swimming in a decorative fish pond at a shopping center in central Israel.
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The inspectors visited the shopping center following an incident a few days earlier in which a woman who stuck her hand into the pond was bitten, prompting an alarmed call to the ministry's hotline.
The inspectors who arrived on site were surprised by both the fish's species (alligator gar) and its size – one meter (3.3 feet) long.
Given that it was unsafe to leave the gar in the pond, the inspectors decided to remove it using special equipment.
The Agriculture Ministry has launched an investigation into how the alligator gar, a predatory species of fish, found its way into the pond in the first place. Israeli fishing regulations ban this species from being raised.
Mainly, the alligator gar feed of other fish and water fowl, and can grow to a length of two meters (6.6 feet).
Hagai Neuberger, who oversees inspection and enforcement in the fishing sector at the Agriculture Ministry, said, "It's important to note that according to fishing regulations, keeping banned fish is a crime. Keeping banned fish poses a threat to biodiversity in Israel and to people, and in this case was a clear and present danger to the public."
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