The Swiss Fishing Federation said it had chosen the European chub as “encouraging proof of the resilience of nature”.
Paul Korecky is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
The European chub, or squalius cephalus, has been crowned Switzerland’s Fish of the Year for 2021.
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The Swiss Fishing Federation said on SaturdayExternal link that it had chosen the freshwater fish species as “encouraging proof of the resilience of nature”.
The chub is found throughout Switzerland and is one of the most common fish in environmentally damaged waters, the federation said.
“It is cunning, wary and difficult to catch,” it added.
The chub belongs to the Cyprinidae, the largest family of fish in the world. In Switzerland, almost half of the 70 species of fish are Cyprinidae.
With its slender body and wide mouth, it is able to adapt easily and find food almost everywhere, the federation said. The chub is also more resistant to disease, parasites and chemical contaminants than other fish. It can also tolerate water temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius.
The chub is generally found in fast currents and thrives in lakes and rivers at low altitudes in Alpine valleys.
The federation said its tremendous ability to survive is also due to its mode of reproduction, which relies on a high number of eggs, a very short development period and vigorous larvae.
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You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.