SALEM (AP) — Some would say the question is eating away at the Senate panel.

Lobbyists for the piranha — a carnivorous fish which preys on living animals — are objecting to a a measure that would make possession of the fish illegal in Oregon.

They argue that the sharp-toothed fish has been widely misrepresented thanks to inaccurate Hollywood portrayals.

"Bills like this just further the myth that these fish are man-eaters, instead of fish we can all enjoy,'' said Jeff Concannon, who operates a piranha Web site.

Senate Bill 125, which is being pushed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, seeks to reverse state law by prohibiting possession of carnivorous piranha. At the same time, the measure would legalize ownership of other, herbivorous varieties of the fish, which feed only on plant life.

Roy Elicker, deputy director of the Fish and Wildlife Department, said that the proposed ban on the fish is nothing new.

In the 1970s, the Legislature enacted a prohibition on all varieties of piranhas. That stood until 1995, when Frank Magallanes, a longtime piranha enthusiast from Roseburg, persuaded lawmakers to lift the ban on the carnivorous species. The ban on herbivorous piranha remained in place.

The result, Elicker said, has been widespread confusion about which types of piranhas are legal in the state.

"Every year there's a rash of phone calls,'' Elicker said. "This piranha thing is driving us crazy. Let's try to fix it.''

Elicker said that under the new measure, carnivorous piranhas would still be legal in certain circumstances, but their owners would have to obtain a state permit.

He said current owners of the fish would be grandfathered under the legislation and not forced to dispose of the fish immediately.

Elicker said that in the warm summer months piranhas are capable of inflicting "a nasty bite.'' But he made clear that the department's motivation was less a fear of widespread attacks from piranhas accidentally released into Oregon lakes than the elimination of a confusing hassle for their agency.

They did not dispute Concannon's assertion that the fish, which thrive in warm water, "could not survive a winter in Oregon.''

Kevin Cutter, who owns a pet store in Salem, said he has sold about 1,000 piranhas in the past year. "Our customers don't understand why there is a big deal about this fish since they can't survive'' in the wild, he said.

By the end of the hearing, committee members appeared both amused by the subject matter and uncertain what to do next.

At one point, Chairman Sen. Charlie Ringo, D-Beaverton asked Cutter, "What do people do with piranhas— feed them goldfish?''

"Some feed them goldfish, some feed them chicken,'' Cutter replied.