Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic.- Residents awoke in panic Tuesday morning after reports that at least two catfish (Gabres) were caught in the stream Maguá, a tributary of the Higuamo river, which meanders the town north to south.

The neighbors say the catfish is harmful to the environment, “because it feeds on other domestic fish, crabs, turtles, birds and animals.”

The captured fish weigh half a pound each and were turned over to the local Environment Ministry Office, which will begin an evaluation Tuesday.

The foreign species would also be in waters of the Guamira and Yabón rivers, and the Paña Paña stream, but how it arrived in the zone isn’t known.

Heriberto Zapata (Cano), who caught the two catfish with a hook and is used to fishing the Maguá river at nighttime, when he saw the rare variety said he was astonished. The fish was caught in the backwater pool known as “Mujeres”, as it passes along the Punta Garza district, part of the town that has around 68,000 inhabitants.