Latest news with #WelsCatfish
BBC News
25-06-2025
- BBC News
Reeling in catfish in Berkshire was big surprise, says angler
An angler has described his surprise after reeling in a Wels catfish from a Berkshire fishing lake. Anthony Gee was fishing at Dinton Pastures Country Park in Wokingham when he caught the invasive species, which can grow up to 9ft (2.7m).Mr Gee, from Bracknell, said the fish he caught was relatively small, weighing about 8lb (3.6kg).He reported the catch to Wokingham Borough Council, which said it had humanely removed the catfish in order to protect local wildlife. The council said the "top predators" could "devastate" native species of fish and other animals such as swans and geese. It thanked Mr Gee for "doing the right thing" and reporting the find. Mr Gee said he set up for fishing as normal at the lake, in his favourite spot with three rods. He said his his bite alarm sounded and he noticed the rod tip "wiggling away"."I thought there is something going on there," he said. "So, I picked the rod up - initially I thought it was a weed because it was dark and suddenly [the fish] kicked."I thought it may have been a pike, we normally fish for carp and this was not normal. "I went to net it, I saw this white belly and once in the net I saw these big whiskers."They've got these big protruding nodules on the front of their mouths which they used to sense, sense prey."They're not pretty."Mr Gee added that he was "very surprised" to catch the Wels catfish, known locally as the Winnersh Whopper. It is illegal to stock Wels catfish and others like it without a special licence from the Environment Agency and Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science). You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
24-06-2025
- BBC News
Invasive catfish removed from lake at Dinton Pastures Country Park
A species of fish that could potentially grow up to 9ft (2.7m) long and "devastate local wildlife" was found to have been illegally introduced to a Berkshire fishing Borough Council said a Wels catfish was caught by anglers at Dinton Pastures Country reported their catch to the council and two fish were humanely removed to protect native is illegal to stock the Wels catfish and others like it without a special licence from the Environment Agency and Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science). The council said the "top predators" could "devastate local wildlife, including swans, geese and native fish species"."Thank you to the anglers who did the right thing - the vast majority of whom are responsible and conservation-minded - and to everyone who helps us protect Dinton's precious wildlife," a council statement said."We'll be keeping a close eye on things, but if you ever see anything that doesn't look right, please let one of the team know."The Canal and River Trust said that in continental Europe, with warmer water and plenty of food, Wels catfish have been known to grow to weights of 305.7kg (674lb). You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
