A 300 kg monster caught in the Mekong

He had gone to tease the fish in the Mekong but did not expect to catch a catch four meters long and 300 kilos. On June 13, a fisherman caught a giant ray in Cambodia, the dimensions of which made it possible to set a new record. It is literally the largest freshwater fish ever caught in the world, National Geographic magazine reported on Monday. It was Moul Thun, a resident of Koh Preah, an isolated island in the Mekong River in northern Cambodia, who captured the creature at the end of his line.

Astonished by his catch, the 42-year-old fisherman directly called the scientists of the “Wonders of the Mekong” project, which is working to document the giant fish of the Asian river. The fisherman told a crew member he accidentally caught a giant freshwater stingray ‘much bigger’ than any he had seen before. “She was so big, he said, she might even be a different species.” Upon arriving at Kaoh Preah, the team determined that the fish – a female that appeared to be healthy – belonged to a species of ray known from the Mekong (Urogymnus polylepis). The fish was released after being measured and weighed by project scientists.

“It proves that these critically endangered underwater leviathans still exist,” said Zeb Hogan, an American biologist from the University of Nevada and director of the US-funded “Wonders of Mekong” project. For him, the fact that the largest freshwater fish in the world was caught in the Mekong is “remarkable” because the region is very populated and the Mekong is taken over by fishermen, he said. entrusted to the “New York Times”.

Mekong Monsters

The Mekong, one of the longest rivers in Asia (4,350 kilometers long), is home to the most important aquatic biodiversity in the world after the Amazon, with more than 1,000 species of fish. Gigantic specimens such as the giant catfish or the giant barbel which can reach three meters and weigh up to 300 kilos also inhabit its waters. The river, which reaches 80 meters deep in places, could harbor even larger varieties, according to scientists.

Vital to the survival of millions of people in Southeast Asia, the Mekong and its wildlife are threatened by the dozens of dams built by Beijing in China, Laos and Cambodia on the river and its tributaries. Pollution is another source of concern. Plastic waste has been spotted even in the deepest areas of the river as well as “ghost nets” lost or abandoned by fishermen in which fish can become trapped.

The previous record was set in the same river in 2005 when a 293-kilo catfish was brought up from the depths. But for Dr. Hogan, breaking that world record was not scientifically significant. He said the existence of such a large stingray was an indicator of the health of his ecosystem. He also hopes the discovery will remind the local community how special this river is and how much it needs to be saved.