Fisherman catches record 300kg giant stingray in Cambodia


The world’s largest recorded freshwater fish has been discovered in Cambodia’s Mekong River, scientists say.

The giant stingray measured almost 4 meters from snout to tail and weighed just under 300kg, according to a Monday statement from Wonders of the Mekong, a joint US-Cambodia research project.

The previous record for a freshwater fish was a 293kg giant Mekong catfish, discovered in Thailand in 2005, the group said.

Freshwater fish are defined as those that spend their entire lives in fresh water, as opposed to giant marine species like bluefin tuna and marlin, or fish that migrate between fresh and salt water like the huge beluga sturgeon.

A team of scientists was called in to examine the fish before it was released back into the river.

Are big fish endangered?

The stingray’s capture wasn’t just about setting a new record, Wonders of the Mekong frontman Zeb Hogan said in an online interview with the University of Nevada.

“The fact that the fish can still grow so large is a sign of hope for the Mekong River,” he said, noting that the waterway faces many environmental challenges.

The Mekong River flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It is home to several species of giant freshwater fish, but environmental pressures are increasing.

In particular, scientists fear that a major dam-building program in recent years may be seriously disturbing spawning grounds.

The world’s large fish are in danger of extinction. They are high value species. They take a long time to mature. So if they are caught before they mature, they don’t have a chance to reproduce,” Hogan said.

“Many of these large fish are migratory, so they need large areas to survive. They are affected by things like habitat fragmentation of dams, obviously affected by overfishing. So about 70 percent of the giant freshwater fish around the world are in danger of extinction, and all of the Mekong species.”

What is known about giant rays?

The team that rushed to the site inserted a tagging device near the mighty fish’s tail before releasing it.

The device will now send back tracking information for the next year, providing unprecedented data on the behavior of the giant rays in Cambodia.

“The giant ray is a very little known fish. Its name, even its scientific name, has changed several times in the last 20 years,” Hogan said.

“It is found throughout Southeast Asia, but we have almost no information about it. We don’t know his life story. We don’t know about his ecologyabout their migration patterns.

The researchers say it is the fourth giant stingray reported from the same area in the last two months, all of them female. They think this may be a spawning hotspot for the species.

Local residents nicknamed the ray “Boramy” or “full moon” because of its round shape and because the moon was on the horizon when it was released on June 14.

In addition to the honor of having caught the ray, the fisherman who discovered the ray received $600 (569 euros) for his trouble.



Reference-www.euronews.com

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