There are many large fish in the world. Today we are going to look at one of those big fish. Our journey takes us to Europe home of the Wels catfish. Originally, this fish was native to Eastern Europe but has been introduced into many other areas of Europe. This catfish is large and that is no joke. It can reach a length of 16 feet (5 meters) and weigh in at 188 lbs (300 kg). I don't know how many of these large fish are left in Europe but from the videos on YouTube. I get the feeling this fish is much sought after as a game fish. It is a big fish with a huge appetite. It will feed on fish, water birds, frogs, small mammals, and carrion. The male makes the nest and then when the female is down laying her eggs, he'll guard the nest. By the way, the female catfish will lay some 1/2 million eggs. Any time that an animal produces that many young, it's a pretty good guess that they get eaten a lot.
Now what is my take on game animals, you might ask. First off, we use to hunt and gather for our food. We had to for our own survival. I suppose in some places we still hunt for our meat. Nowadays for most of us, our lives do not depend on hunting or fishing. I have no problems with us hunting or fishing. What I have a problem with is waste and poaching. In many places here in the United States and in Europe as well, pollution is now a major concern. Another concern of mine is what the population of these large fish is like. If we take too many of the large Wels catfish and do not leave enough mature adults to breed than the population will suffer. Another issue that concerns me is the fact that this species has been introduced to areas outside its original ecosystems. Haven't we learned that it's not a good idea to transplant animals from one ecosystem into another? I wonder what its introduction has done to the native animals in their new ranges.
In my experience, being outdoors and enjoying nature is a great way to spend time together as a family. There is nothing wrong with catch and release fishing. I however do not particularly like fishing. I remember being out fishing here in native NW Indiana and feeling something heavy strike at my hook. I quickly set with my eager arms and started wheeling it into shore. When I saw the black dome of a turtle moving through the water towards me, my heart sank. It sank even more when my brother in law had to remove the hook from the poor creature's jaws. Since then I have gone fishing a couple more times, but personally, I would rather not fish and just spend my time enjoying nature. It's much easier to take a picture or do a video when I don't have my hands on a fishing pool. Anyway, I'm out for now hope you enjoy.
I cannot embed this video but it's really good:
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