The Meimão bathing area received, on September 7, the initiative "Invasive Fish in Meimão Reservoir", promoted by the LIFE PREDATOR project and the Municipality of Penamacor, with the support of the Meimão Parish Council. The event featured the participation of Pedro Silveiro, Vice-President of Penamacor Municipal Council, Filipe Ribeiro, Coordinator of the LIFE PREDATOR project, Maria Teresa Álvares from the Tagus Hydrographic Region Administration, Jacinto Diamantino representing ICNF, Paulo Fazenda from SEPNA of the GNR, and Leonel Barata from Conserveira do Interior, as speakers.
Filipe Ribeiro presented the study "Four years of studies on invasive fish in the reservoir. And now, what to do?", developed in the Meimão Reservoir over approximately four years. The LIFE PREDATOR project is an international project funded by the European Union through the LIFE Program, with an expected duration between 2022 and 2027, involving partnerships with scientists from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and research centers such as MARE and c3c. The main objective is to prevent, detect, and combat the spread of the wels catfish in aquatic ecosystems in southern Europe, with a focus on Portugal and Italy.
During the study, surveys were conducted with approximately 400 recreational-sport fishermen, concluding that the vast majority do not consider the catfish beneficial for fishing, while a small minority considers the species important and 5% understand that it has no impact on the ecosystem. Approximately 45% of respondents stated they return the fish to the habitat after capture, despite this not being permitted by law. In the Meimão Reservoir, 85% of fish caught were exotic or invasive exotic species, a figure that reaches 98% in other protected areas. Filipe Ribeiro noted that eradicating the species is impossible, but emphasized the importance of its control and culinary valorization of the species, as well as awareness-raising actions with the school community.
The wels catfish is the largest freshwater fish in Europe and an extremely voracious predator that, in the Tagus River ecosystem, has no natural predators and grows at a rapid rate, threatening native biodiversity and species of commercial relevance such as the barbel, eel, and shad. In the case of Meimão, the species record is more recent and the colder waters slow its development. The main focus will be controlling the passage of fish to the bathing areas of Meimoa and Benquerença, where 1.5-meter specimens could appear near people, causing shock and panic. The program concluded with a river fish tasting prepared by Chef Rui Cerveira.
