Mero vs Wels Catfish

Epinephelus itajara comparado com Silurus glanis

Taxonomy & Classification

Atributo	Mero	Wels Catfish
Nome Científico	Epinephelus itajara	Silurus glanis
Ordem	Perciformes	Siluriformes
Família	Serranidae	Ictaluridae
Conservation Status	Vulnerable	Least Concern

Physical Traits

Atributo	Mero	Wels Catfish
Comprimento Máximo	250,0 cm	500,0 cm
Peso Máximo	363,0 kg	300,0 kg
Cor	Yellow-brown to olive-green body densely covered with small dark brown spots and irregular blotches; 3–4 faint pale vertical bands on the flanks; juveniles show bolder contrasting yellow and black stripes.	Dark olive-green to slate-gray back with irregular mottled marbling of darker blotches; flanks grade to olive-yellow; scaleless smooth skin; belly pale cream to yellowish-white; head broad and flat.

Habitat & Environment

Atributo	Mero	Wels Catfish
Tipo de Água	Saltwater	Brackish
Faixa de Profundidade	0-100m	0-30m
Distribuição Geográfica	Tropical western Atlantic from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico through the Caribbean Sea to Brazil, and eastern Pacific from the Gulf of California to …	Native to large river systems and lakes of central and eastern Europe from the Rhine basin east to the Caspian and Aral sea drainages. Introduced …
Habitat	Neritic, coral reefs, estuaries	Large rivers, lakes, and reservoirs across Europe and Asia (Volga, Danube, Rhine, Ob). Inhabits deep, slow-moving freshwater with soft substrates. Tolerates turbid water (15-25°C). Highly …

Informações de Pesca

Atributo	Mero	Wels Catfish
Peixe Esportivo	Sim	Sim
Classificação de Resistência	9/10	9/10
Recorde Mundial	—	—
Nível de Mercúrio	—	—

Cuisine & Edibility

Mero

Firm, flaky white flesh with a mild, sweet flavor; harvest is heavily restricted or banned throughout most of its range due to Vulnerable status. Catch-and-release strongly encouraged.

Wels Catfish

Fatty, soft flesh with a mild, slightly sweet flavor; quality improves from cold, clean water fish. Popular in Central European cuisines — commonly smoked, fried, or braised with vegetables.

Species Overview

Mero

The goliath grouper is the largest grouper in the Atlantic Ocean. This massive reef dweller can swallow prey whole and produces a distinctive booming sound by contracting its swim bladder to ward off intruders.

Wels Catfish

The wels catfish is the largest freshwater fish in Europe, capable of exceeding 5 meters. Found in large rivers and lakes across the continent, it has been documented beaching itself to catch pigeons. It can live over 80 years.