4/4/2023 0 Comments Large freshwater fishThe team that rushed to the site inserted a tagging device near the stingray’s tail before releasing it. So about 70 percent of giant freshwater fish globally are threatened with extinction, and all of the Mekong species.” They’re impacted by things like habitat fragmentation from dams, obviously impacted by overfishing. “A lot of these big fish are migratory, so they need large areas to survive. So, if they’re fished before they mature, they don’t have a chance to reproduce,” Hogan said. In particular, scientists fear a major programme of dam building in recent years may be seriously disrupting spawning grounds. It is home to several species of giant freshwater fish but environmental pressures are rising. The Mekong River runs through China, Myanmar, Lao, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. “The fact that the fish can still get this big is a hopeful sign for the Mekong River,” Hogan said, noting that the waterway faces many environmental challenges. The discovery of the stingray was not just about setting a new record. “When you see a fish this size, especially in freshwater, it is hard to comprehend, so I think all of our team was stunned,” Wonders of the Mekong leader Zeb Hogan said in an online interview from the University of Nevada in Reno.įreshwater fish are defined as those that spend their entire lives in freshwater, as opposed to giant marine species such as bluefin tuna and marlin, or fish that migrate between fresh and saltwater like beluga sturgeon. The scientists arrived within hours of getting a post-midnight call with the news, and were amazed at what they saw. They alerted a nearby team of scientists from the Wonders of the Mekong project, which has publicised its conservation work in communities along the river. It took about a dozen men to haul the fish ashore. The previous record for a freshwater fish was a 293-kg (646-lb) Mekong giant catfish, discovered in Thailand in 2005, the group said.Ĭhristened “Boramy” – meaning the full moon in the Khmer language – because of her bulbous shape, the stingray was caught south of Stung Treng on the Mekong River in north-eastern Cambodia. (AFP Photo)Ī fisher in Cambodia has caught what scientists say is the world’s largest recorded freshwater fish, a giant stingray.Ĭaptured on 13 June, the stingray measured almost four metres (13 feet) from snout to tail and weighed slightly less than 300kg (660lbs), according to a statement on Monday by Wonders of the Mekong, a joint Cambodian-United States (US) research project. This photo released on 20 June shows a 661 pound (300kg) giant freshwater stingray that was caught and released in the Mekong River in Cambodia's Stung Treng province.
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