Simon says: "Let's meet the catfish (Clarias gariepinus)"

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The catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

Ein Afek Nature Reserve covers 660 dunams in the Acre Valley, east of Kiryat Bialik - & the swampy water is full of catfish!

Catfish are bottom dwellers, preferring murky water, shallow pools & muddy bottoms - exactly what Ein Afek offers!
They use their whiskers to feel their way through dark water, finding food by touch. Some species can even breathe air, a useful trick in low-oxygen swamp conditions!

They are bottom feeders, eating invertebrates, small fish, insects, fallen leaves & algae.

Mating: The female can lay tens of thousands of eggs at once. Males guard the eggs - some catfish even carry eggs in their mouths until they hatch.

The Kashrut Question:
Leviticus 11:9: anything in the water with both fins & scales is permitted. Anything without - catfish included - is forbidden. Catfish lack scales entirely.

Fishing for catfish, at kibbutz Ein Gev


They thrive in Ein Afek, which is unique in preserving the marsh landscapes & sources of the Naaman stream, a remnant of the marshes that once stretched on both sides of the stream - sharing the water with tilapia, carp & gambozia. The marsh does not judge. It holds them all.

Want to wade in mud with a fish that defies kashrut, breathes air & lives in mud?

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