According to Daily Mail, in 2023, Joshua Davenport, an 11-year-old from East Grinstead, West Sussex (UK), went fishing with his parents during a vacation in Spain when a massive catfish lunged at the bait.
It took the boy 25 minutes to subdue the fish. Three adults then assisted him in bringing the fish ashore to weigh it. The enormous catfish was determined to be 2.7 meters long and weighed 68 kg.
At that time, Joshua was about 1.65 meters tall but looked like an “elf” standing next to the freshly caught catfish.
Daily Mail reported that Joshua has broken the world record for the largest freshwater fish caught by a boy. This is also the largest fish he has ever caught.
After taking pictures with the fish, Joshua safely released it back into the river.
It is known that Joshua caught the “huge” fish in the Ebro River area, Spain. Both of Joshua’s parents are fishing enthusiasts.
Joshua’s mother stated: “He loves fishing. The first time he held a fishing rod was when he was just 4 years old. Two years later, he caught a fish weighing 10 kg.”
“Since then, Joshua has caught many different species of fish. He especially likes catfish because they are large-sized fish. We spent a week vacationing in Spain, and this was the last fish he caught,” his mother shared.
Joshua and his parents pose with the massive catfish they just caught.
“Joshua was very surprised by the enormous size of the fish. Catching a fish weighing over 45 kg has been his dream,” his mother added.
The species of catfish that Joshua caught is also known as the European catfish. The scientific name of this European catfish is Silurus glanis and it is one of the largest species of freshwater fish in the world.
European catfish typically grow to about 1.3 meters to 1.6 meters in length, and fish larger than 2 meters are rarely seen.
This species originates from Central and Eastern Europe and was introduced to Western Europe in the 1970s. A fisherman in Germany had released thousands of juvenile catfish into the Ebro River in Spain with the hope that they would thrive, facilitating fishing opportunities. Other anglers followed suit, releasing catfish into rivers across several countries.
This species has rapidly proliferated, establishing itself in at least 10 countries in Western Europe, including France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, leading to a decline in native species.
