http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.1606/epdf
The end of the mythical giant catfish
STEPHANIE BOULETREAU AND FREDERIC SANTOUL
EcoLab, Universite de Toulouse, CNRS-INPT-UPS, Toulouse, France
Abstract.
The European catfish Silurus glanis is the largest freshwater fish (excluding anadromous spe-
cies) in Europe. Its measurements raise many concerns about its potential impact on recipient ecosystems
and fish communities and also feed many rumors and fantasies. It is largely accepted that the largest indi-
vidual ever caught was 5 m long and weighed 306 kg. This information has been reported in the scientific
literature for at least a century and is now reported in numerous specialized Web sites. In this manuscript,
we test the hypothesis that such a huge European catfish specimen, and other specimens of similar size,
have never existed. We demonstrate inconsistency between the reported record body dimensions and the
normal species length: weight ratio established from growth curves in several European sites. We exam-
ined the original picture of the record specimen and concluded this record specimen is likely misidentifica-
tion of a sturgeon. At the present time, the accurate largest individual of Silurus glanis was caught in the
Rhone River in Southern France and measured 2.73 m and weighed 130 kg. Although still a very impres-
sive megafish, it is nevertheless much smaller than this mythical European catfish.
The end of the mythical giant catfish
STEPHANIE BOULETREAU AND FREDERIC SANTOUL
EcoLab, Universite de Toulouse, CNRS-INPT-UPS, Toulouse, France
Abstract.
The European catfish Silurus glanis is the largest freshwater fish (excluding anadromous spe-
cies) in Europe. Its measurements raise many concerns about its potential impact on recipient ecosystems
and fish communities and also feed many rumors and fantasies. It is largely accepted that the largest indi-
vidual ever caught was 5 m long and weighed 306 kg. This information has been reported in the scientific
literature for at least a century and is now reported in numerous specialized Web sites. In this manuscript,
we test the hypothesis that such a huge European catfish specimen, and other specimens of similar size,
have never existed. We demonstrate inconsistency between the reported record body dimensions and the
normal species length: weight ratio established from growth curves in several European sites. We exam-
ined the original picture of the record specimen and concluded this record specimen is likely misidentifica-
tion of a sturgeon. At the present time, the accurate largest individual of Silurus glanis was caught in the
Rhone River in Southern France and measured 2.73 m and weighed 130 kg. Although still a very impres-
sive megafish, it is nevertheless much smaller than this mythical European catfish.
