The capture of six rare and endangered giant catfish in five days, some weighing more than 120kg in Cambodia, has raised hopes of a revival of the world's largest freshwater fish.
The capture of six rare and endangered giant catfish in five days, some weighing more than 120kg, in Cambodia has raised hopes of a revival of the world's largest freshwater fish.
Scientists , officials and fishermen release a giant freshwater giant catfish after tagging it into the Mekong River, near Kampong Cham province, Cambodia. Photo: Reuters.
Three adult giant catfish were caught on the same day on December 10 in the Mekong River, weighing between 95kg and 131kg, with two measuring more than 2m in length. All three fish were measured and tagged for tracking before being released back into the river, and their DNA samples were collected.
The Mekong Wonders Project, a US-funded conservation initiative, described the capture of so many giant catfish in just a few days as “a remarkable and unprecedented event.”
“I’ve never heard of this before,” said Zeb Hogan, a biologist at the University of Nevada Reno who led the project.
"By tagging these fish, we get important information about their ecology, their migrations, their habitats... to try to help these fish survive in the future," said Zeb Hogan.
Three other giant catfish were caught, tagged and released in previous days, one in the Mekong River and two in the Tonle Sap River near the capital Phnom Penh.
The recent catch demonstrates the species' spawning activity in the Mekong River in Cambodia and is the result of 25 years of conservation work by the team in partnership with fisheries organisations and local communities.
Some of the giant catfish in the Mekong River can weigh up to 300 kg and grow up to 3 meters long.
Source: https://danviet.vn/6-con-thuy-quai-ca-tra-dau-khong-lo-quy-hiem-tren-song-mekong-dan-camuchia-vua-bat-duoc-20250116094637334.htm
Comment (0)