My interest in exotic fish began after watching one of my older brother's Pete, setup his aquarium. He kept neon's and glowlite tetras and other pretty characins. During this same time, around 1957, my interest in piranhas became evident after first seeing the fish in a comic book entitled The Phantom. The comic strip in the newspaper showed the fish leaping over a canoe The Phantom was paddling. I asked my father what the fish was and my father said a Piranha a man-eating fish. Later in life I became more interested in the fish more while visiting a public aquarium in old Monterey, California (Old Fisherman's Wharf) in 1959. I asked my brother about keeping the fish, but he didn't think that was a good idea. At least, that is how I remember it.  In those early years there was little written about piranhas and even less what they were, so I began my own research of the fish. Up to that time, I thought the fish was from Africa based on the old Tarzan (Johnny Weismuller) movies. I also thought the piranha was just a small fish not growing any bigger than 3 inches! How little I knew then, but my perception of the species would change as more information became available.

I found my first bit of information on this fish in a library book titled Living Fishes of the World (1961). There on page 38(12) and 38(13), was the first printed pictures of piranhas I had ever seen other than the drawn picture of one in The Phantom comics paper and the live ones I saw at Monterey. On this page (original photos above) there was a picture of Serrasalmus nattereri (= Pygocentrus nattereri)and the legendary Serrasalmus niger (= S. rhombeus).

Then Tropical Hobbyist Magazine (which was more like a little digest book then) published an article by William Braker and the spawning of S. spilopleura (I would later in life contact Dr. Braker).  During this same time period, a Harold Schultz booklet entitled PIRANHAS (1964) gave me more information to fully comprehend and appreciate this much maligned fish. 

I will continue to  promote the right to keep piranha bringing that message to the public through the World Wide Web. Many specimens of piranha in formalin were donated to Oregon State University to help build their university collection. The students there will benefit from these donations. OPEFE's other large collection of various species of piranhas and other types of exotic fishes in formalin are sufficiently maintained for local area schools. I continue to maintain contact with; Dr. William L. Fink, foremost authority on piranhas, Dr. Michel Jégu a French Ichthyologist and piranha specialist, Dr. Labbish Chao head of Projeto Piaba, Dr. Earl Weidner a parasitologist, and other authorities pertaining to DNA research.