A fish leaping out of the water to snatch a pigeon on the bank: this upends everything we thought we knew about the European catfish. In Albi, researchers from Toulouse filmed this behavior 54 times, revealing a hunting strategy worthy of an animal documentary, yet real and scientifically documented.
- Toulouse researchers filmed 54 voluntary beachings of the wels catfish on a gravel bar in Albi between June and October 2011, achieving a 28% success rate across 45 attempts, prey detected by vibrations rather than sight
- A January 2026 OFB report studied the impact of the catfish on migratory fish such as salmon or shad
- A June 2026 decree classified the wels catfish among species likely to cause biological imbalances in the Adour-Garonne and Loire-Brittany basins, banning its release into open waters under penalties of fines up to 9,000 euros
- When a fish becomes a terrestrial hunter
- Albi, an unlikely theatre for 54 out-of-water attacks
- A success rate that exceeds researchers’ predictions
When a fish becomes a terrestrial hunter
The wels catfish is no ordinary fish. Capable of exceeding two meters in length, this freshwater giant introduced into the Tarn in 1983 has acclimated so well to its new environment that it has developed behaviors not seen in its native range.
Among them, an hunting technique that literally steps outside the frame: voluntary beaching. The fish temporarily leaves its element to seize prey placed on land, before slipping back into the water. A physical feat that requires precise coordination, because every second spent out of the water is another second of vulnerability for the predator itself.
This type of behavior, well documented in certain marine fish that prey on shorebirds, had until then been almost unheard of in a European freshwater species. This is precisely what drew the attention of Julien Cucherousset’s team, a researcher at the Evolution and Biological Diversity unit affiliated with CNRS and the University of Toulouse III.
Albi, an unlikely theatre for 54 out-of-water attacks
Between June and October 2011, scientists set up an observation post on a bridge spanning the Tarn in Albi. Their target: a gravel bed frequented by pigeons coming to drink or bathe, just near deeper waters where the catfish lurk.
During these months of observation, the team filmed no fewer than 54 voluntary beachings. The scenario repeats like a choreographed sequence: the catfish spots prey, accelerates toward the bank, leaps out of the water to clamp its jaws on the bird, then plunges back in immediately with its prize.
The entire sequence lasts from less than a second to four seconds. A striking detail emerges from the recordings: only moving pigeons are attacked. Stationary birds are completely ignored. This suggests that the catfish does not detect its prey by sight, but by the vibrations generated in the water by the bird’s movements of its legs and body.
A success rate that exceeds researchers’ predictions
Of the 45 attempts recorded, 28% result in an actual capture. A score that the researchers did not necessarily anticipate, given how risky and improvised the technique appears. These results, published in the journal PLoS ONE in 2012, made this Toulouse study a frequently cited reference when it comes to behavioral plasticity in fish.
This capacity for adaptation today fuels a broader debate about the role of the catfish in French ecosystems. A January 2026 report by the French Office for Biodiversity syntheses knowledge about catfish populations and their impact, notably on diadromous migratory fish such as salmon or shad.
Subsequently, a decree published in the Official Journal in June 2026 classified the wels catfish among species likely to cause biological imbalances in the Adour-Garonne and Loire-Bretagne basins. Since the decree came into force, any introduction of catfish into open waters is prohibited, with fines of up to 9,000 euros. Predator-reduction fisheries have already been carried out in the Garonne and Dordogne basins.
One important caveat remains: unlike the catfish or other invasive exotic species, the wels catfish is native to Europe. It has merely moved within its own continent, which explains why it does not appear on official lists of invasive exotic species, despite its new regulatory status.
Between a remarkable behavioral feat and an ecological puzzle, the Tarn’s catfish vividly illustrates the complexity of life when a species settles in a new territory. This fish that dares to leave the water to hunt reminds us that a species, even introduced decades ago, can still surprise scientists and redraw the balances of a river.
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