catfish, a threat to biodiversity?

Some mornings, at the end of his line, Romain Gadais, a professional fisherman in Indre-et-Loire, finds a catfish. This giant freshwater fish worries because of its proliferation. It is indeed a predator for migrating fish that go up the rivers. “It is a very powerful and extremely intelligent fish. It is becoming an emblematic fish of the Loire”, according to the fisherman. Originally from central Europe, the catfish was introduced to France by man in the 1960s.

This carnivore with a ferocious appetite would threaten other species. To assess the potential danger of catfish, studies are carried out. Some specimens are fished for scientific purposes. “Muscle is taken. That should tell us about his diet.“, explains Thomas Trancart, researcher at the Natural History Museum.

On certain documents kept by the biologist, the fish’s appetite seems limitless: rodents, dead lambs, pigeon attacks… and several species of fish. “If the catfish takes a large amount of these species, there is a danger for the ecosystem“, according to Thomas Trancart.