Gigantic catfish in Lake Garda: Ecosystem in danger!

Gigantic catfish in Lake Garda: Ecosystem in danger!

Sirmione, Italien - Am Gardasee haben Taucher kürzlich einen gewaltigen Wels gesichtet, der laut Berichten von Suedwest24 is impressive three meters long. The diver Daniele Bertoloni made these giants discovered a sensation at the weekend. He describes the catfish as almost twice as large as himself, which amazes the diving community. But that's not all: Together with two other divers, they caught several giant celebrity that were over two meters long and weighing up to 80 kilos. Marco Brognoli, also an experienced diver, stated that it took an entire hour to bring one of this catfish to the surface, which shows the challenge again.

The catfish that were found between Sirmione and Punta Grò are no longer the rare experience of how they were five years ago. Thanks to the warm water temperature of Lake Garda, the conditions for these large fish have improved dramatically. However, anglers and nature lovers observe this development with mixed feelings. Because the increasing number of catfish not only harbors fascinating discoveries, but also ecological problems. Blinker points out that the welse is multiplying like the plague and especially the southwest bank with cities like Sirmione and Lazise is badly affected.

ecological concerns and invasive types

The catfish thrive in the flat bank areas, where the warm temperatures create ideal reproduction conditions. According to Brognoli, 14 catfish over two meters in length were spotted within a distance of 200 meters. However, the strong increase in the audience also has an impact on other species in the ecosystem. The catfish not only feed on other fish, but also on water birds and small mammals, which stirs up regional fears regarding ecological balance.

In addition, the situation around it is critical. The region around Mantua is already described as “empty”, and the catfish spread in many European waters - a development that is partly favored by climate change. Infranken reports that invasive species such as the Quagga shell and the red Louisiana flow cancer continue threaten and put pressure on the local fish species. Fischer complain about falling traps, while tourist hotspots such as Sirmione and Malcesine suffer from the new circumstances.

measures to cope with the crisis

In order to stabilize the ecological location on Lake Garda, the diving community and environmentalists are calling for increased regulatory measures. This includes the establishment of collection points for invasive types and the introduction of gentle days for the local fish species. In order to enable visitors a safe bathing experience, the authorities plan to allow access to many beaches only with online reservations from summer 2025.

In addition, the region faces further challenges such as traffic disruptions through the renovation of the burner highway and an alcohol consumption ban in Limone Sul Garda in order to contain the negative effects of increasing mass tourism. There is a lot to protect the ecologically valuable area around Lake Garda and to promote tourism at the same time.