Return of the catfish record?
Catfish could be back on the British Record Fish List – for the first time in 17 years!
This week Angling Times can exclusively reveal that the British Record Fish Committee (BRFC) is discussing whether wels should again be recognised in fishing’s history books.
It’s a move that was sparked by charismatic fishery owner and passionate big-fish fanatic Zyg Gregorek, who owns Anglers Paradise Fishery in Devon and has reared wels from fingerlings.
Zyg contacted BRFC chiefs, stating the need for the organisation to review its ‘outdated’ current stance on catfish, which currently doesn’t recognise record fish of a species that continues to grow in popularity among UK anglers.
Not only has the Specimen Cat Lake at Zyg’s complex just produced a venue record of 62lb, but recent nettings there revealed a number of huge cats that have grown on from babies a couple of inches long to over 60lb.
“There’s absolutely no reason why in this day and age there shoudn’t be a record list for catfish and that’s why I have really pushed the BRFC to put this right at the top at its agenda – I’m very pleased that it has,” Zyd said.
“It’s all about provenance. I have big cats in my lakes that are legal, and I can prove that they have grown on from fish that were just a few inches long to the ihuge sizes they are now.
“When I feel passionately about something I don’t give up, and I really do feel very strongly about this because people love to catch them. They haven’t been stocked at stupid weights, but grown on in legitimate UK environments.
“The current stance on catfish is so outdated, especially now that so many fishery owners like myself now have proper licences to stock them and are nurturing big fish in the correct manner.”
The last big catfish to be written into the official record books weighed 62lb and was taken from Bedfordshire’s Withy Pool in 1997.
The decision to scrap the record in the year 2000 was during what many consider as a dark time in UK catfishing history.
In some cases big wels, some well over the 100lb mark, were being transported to the UK from abroad and illegally and unscrupulously stocked.
Not only did the authorities say that such activity increased the risk of the spread of disease and pose a threat to our native carp stocks, but recognised that the very fact that there was an existing record list for the species only encouraged these illegal stockings – hence the organisation by the BRFC to scrap the record.
Fast forward 17 years, and the wind of change is beginning to gather momentum.
BRFC Chairman Mike Heylin, along with the rest of the committee, is now listening to the plight of not only Zyg, but many other fishery owners and anglers alike who want to see the catfish record reinstated and recognise fish that have grown up and continue to thrive in UK fisheries.
“Zyg came to us and presented his case. This committee is here to serve angling, and that’s why Zyg’s propopsal is right at the top of the agenda,” said Mike.
“He raises a very valid point so it’s our duty as a committee of passionate anglers that care dearly for the future and integrity of our sport to have in-depth discussions about the catfish record.”
