In Portugal with the Life Predator project

From Wednesday, June 4 to Friday, June 6, 2025, the Protected Areas of the Cozie 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 appointment served as a technical and practical meeting midway through the project between the project partners and the body designated by the European Union to oversee the progress of the work.

In addition to technical and financial meetings involving the Italian institutions (Cozie Alps Parks, Metropolitan City of Turin, IRSA-CNR, and Graia), the Portuguese and Czech institutions, the schedule of the days included a series of experiential visits to organizations that have developed initiatives to counter the spread of the catfish in Portugal. The goal of Life Predator is, in fact, the containment of an alien and invasive species such as Silurus glanis in the freshwater basins of southern Europe.

After two days of institutional meetings, the group moved to the municipality of Vila Velha de Ródão, whose municipal administration funds the project, where the educational activities carried out by MARE - Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente were presented and visits were made to some economic activities that have begun to use catfish for commercial purposes to stimulate the creation of a fishing supply chain. In particular, some restaurants that serve dishes made with Silurus glanis and a canned fish producer that includes the alien predator in its cans were highlighted. In conclusion, the visitors, including director Luca Marello representing the Cozie Alps Parks, attended a fishing session organized within the Parque Natural do Tejo Internacional where MARE, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, and some local fishermen caught several catfish individuals, including one over 2 meters long.