A surrealist scene took place in Paris, Thursday, May 1. While he was walking on Île Saint-Louis, Jamel Debbouze filmed a manwho turned out to be a naturalist, by going up a fish from the Seine. It was a Sower, measuring 2.17 meters.
This fish could make one think of a horror creature: a huge mouth, very small eyes and a size that can reach near 3 meters long, for a hundred kilos. Finding it in the Seine is not that rare. Indeed, the freshwater animal is present almost everywhere in France.
Could it be dangerous for humans? No, according to Philippe Keith, professor at the National Museum of Natural History. At RTL.fr, he explained that The catfish “eats everything that goes” : crayfish, fish, ducks or birds. He can even get out of the water to catch his prey. And then, he is also cannibal, since he can eat smaller catfish. However, it does not make it a human killer, despite certain legends.
A risk for biodiversity?
Introduced by humans in 1857 to feed the populationhe proliferated in rivers. The fishermen often release them since they are bioaccumulator: it stores mercury and other pollutants which sometimes make it unfit for consumption.
In some regions, catfish could destroy populations of endemic species. “The question arises in particular in the southwest, with certain species of Vandoises or studs,” said Philippe Keith
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