“It is very rare to see them, especially by the sea”

A guide from the Bay of Somme made a strange discovery on Saturday, September 14: a 1.80 meter catfish was lying, in a state of decomposition, on the sand, at Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme. An animal that is becoming more and more widespread in the Somme.

When Yann Joly discovered this fish washed up on the shore, Quai Jeanne d’Arc, in Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme, he thought, from a distance, he saw a seal. Same color, same size. As he got closer, he found an enormous catfish, a beast about 1.80 meters long. However, this guide in the Bay of Somme knows the local fauna well.This is not the first time I have come across animal corpses. Most often, they are seals. We then call the association that takes care of them. But, it is very rare to see catfish, especially by the sea.” explains Yann Joly, director of Kayak Baie des phoques.

This scaleless freshwater fish likes calm, deep and turbid waters. It can measure up to 2.65 meters and weigh 150 kg. It is a formidable hunter, with a ferocious appetite. It feeds on rodents, birds and fish of all species and is even said to be cannibalistic. According to some legends, it has eaten dogs and even children, although these facts have never been verified. Its populations continue to grow in France, particularly in the Seine, Paris, the Rhône, the Saône, the Loire and the Garonne.

Fishermen had introduced catfish into closed ponds for their fishing trips. During the major floods of 2001, there was an explosion of these fish.

Michel Blondin, president of the Ponthieu anglers’ association

In the sea, discoveries are rarer.”This fish took the wrong route. It must have died because of the salinity of the water, when the Somme, at low tide, crossed the estuary“, details the nature guide. Its presence in the Somme is relatively recent. The species was introduced by man and its development was favored by a natural disaster.Fishermen had introduced catfish into closed ponds for their fishing trip. During the major floods of 2001, there was an explosion of these fish. The water exceeded two meters and they were scattered in the ponds and rivers.“, explains Michel Blondin, president of the Ponthieu anglers’ association.

The catfish is an invasive fish that colonizes rivers very quickly. Opportunistic, it does not specialize in one species and sometimes attacks decoys, i.e. live lures, placed on the water to attract prey, during hunting periods in the Somme valley. It is therefore not unanimous. However, it is not classified as a harmful species by the authorities.Its presence is necessarily to the detriment of other species, because it is voracious and it grows quickly. But it prefers bottom fish. I am not worried because it is edible. The catfish is perhaps what will save us.“, Michel Blondin says ironically.

For several years, some chefs have been offering catfish to their customers. Easy to cook, according to enthusiasts, catfish fillets hold up well when cooked. If demand increased in France, this could perhaps help regulate populations.