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As the school holidays approach, the first cycle of educational activities proposed by the Protected Areas of the Cozie Alps as part of the Life Predator Project for the containment of catfish in the waters of the Nature Park of Avigliana Lakes has concluded. The initiative, financed by the European Union, indeed includes a series of educational and outreach actions aimed at raising citizens' awareness about the issues raised by the illegal introduction of the aquatic predator – an invasive alien species – in the freshwater basins of Southern Europe and about what is being done in the Avigliana Lakes to combat its spread.

From April 16 to 23, an important session of scientific fishing for wels catfish took place in the Natural Park of the Avigliana Lakes. The operations were conducted by the staff of the National Research Council – Water Research Institute (CNR – IRSA), Coordinator of the Life Predator Project, in which the Protected Areas of the Cozie Alps are partners, to contain the Silurus glanis from the freshwater bodies of southern Europe where it is an invasive alien species.

In the course of 2025, the activity of the Life Predator project in the Avigliana Lakes Natural Park has entered the heart of the captures after the study phase conducted in previous years by project partners coordinated by IRSA CNR with the staff of the Protected Areas of the Cozie Alps and the appointed professionals. With the end of the calendar year and taking advantage of the winter break in the extraction operations, it is possible to draft an initial balance on the actual reduction of the biomass of Silurus glanis from the two Avigliana Lakes. The actions have been carried out within the European Life Predator project, of which the Park Authority is a partner, for the containment of the catfish, an invasive alien species, in the freshwater basins of southern Europe.

The Protected Areas of the Cozie Alps have created a video to tell the story of the involvement of amateur fishermen in containing the catfish from the waters of the Natural Park of the Avigliana Lakes. This is an initiative organized in 2025 by the park authority staff as part of the European Life Predator project to combat the spread of Silurus glanis, an invasive alien aquatic predator that threatens to compromise the aquatic biodiversity of water bodies in southern Europe.

On Monday, October 29, 2025, professional fishing activities began for the containment of the catfish in the Avigliana Lakes Natural Park. The initiative is one of the actions of the Life Predator project, of which the Protected Areas of the Cozie Alps are partners, aimed at containing the Silurus glanis, the aquatic predator that represents an invasive alien species in the freshwater basins of Southern Europe.

From Wednesday, June 4 to Friday, June 6, 2025, the Protected Areas of the Cottian Alps participated in the monitoring visit of the Life Predator project, which took place in Portugal along the Tagus River basin. As expected in this type of program, the event was characterized as a technical and practical meeting halfway through the project between the project partners and the body designated by the European Union to oversee the progress of the work.

The Life Predator project team has produced the second issue of the newsletter to illustrate the progress of the work.

«Predatori silenziosi» è il titolo che è stato dato al workshop internazionale organizzato dal Progetto Life Predator a Cameri (NO) il 5 dicembre 2025. Si tratta di un convegno gratuito e ad accesso libero, ospitato nella bella cornice di Villa Picchetta dalle Aree Protette del Ticino e del Lago Maggiore, in cui le conoscenze ed esperienze maturate nella gestione del pesce siluro nei bacini lacustri dell’Europa meridionale, tra cui il Parco Naturale dei Laghi di Avigliana, serviranno da spunto di riflessione e confronto su altre iniziative che si occupano di specie aliene invasive.

The educational activity aims to explore the differences between native and non-native species and to develop a reflection with the students on the value of diversity.

Starting from a discussion on the meaning of biodiversity, we will arrive at what can be defined as its main threats, among which, often by voluntary choice on the part of humans, is the spread of alien species.

Starting from the appearance of fish, we will follow their evolution up to today's fish and then address the topic of alien organisms and the Life Predator project, with particular reference to the catfish.

The lakes and their environments