[en] The extreme body sizes of megafishes associated with their high commercial values and
recreational interests have made them highly threatened in their native range worldwide by humaninduced impacts such as overexploitation. Meanwhile, some megafishes have been introduced outside of their native range. A notable example is the European catfish (Silurus glanis), one of the few siluriforms native to Eastern Europe. It is among the 20 largest freshwater fish worldwide, attaining a total length over 2.7 m and a documented mass of 130 kg. Its distinct
phylogeny and extreme size imply many features that are rare among other European fish, including novel behaviours (massive aggregations, beaching), consumption of large bodied prey, fast growth rates, long lifespan, high fecundity, nest guarding and large egg sizes. The spread of the species is likely to continue due to illegal introductions, primarily for recreational angling, coupled with natural range extension associated with climate change. Here, the most recentknowledge on the current distribution and the ecology of the species are reviewed. A series of key research
questions are identified that should stimulate new research on this intriguing, yet largely unknown,
species and, more generally, on the ecology of freshwater invaders.
Research center :
AFFISH-RC - Applied and Fundamental FISH Research Center - ULiège FOCUS - Freshwater and OCeanic science Unit of reSearch - ULiège
Disciplines :
Zoology
Author, co-author :
Cucherousset, Julien; Université Paul Sabatier - Toulouse 3 - UPS
Horky, Pavel; Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Department of Zoology and Fisheries
Slavik, Ondrej; Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Department of Zoology and Fisheries
Ovidio, Michaël ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution > Laboratoire de Démographie des poissons et hydroécologie
Arlinghaus, Robert; Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz- Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
Boulêtreau, Stéphanie; EcoLab, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Universite de Toulouse,
Britton, Robert; Bournemouth University > Department of Life and Environmental Sciences
Garcia-Berthou, Emili; University of Girona > GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology
Santoul, Frédéric; Université de Toulouse > EcoLab, CNRS, INPT, UPS
Language :
English
Title :
Ecology, behaviour and management of the European catfish
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