The Mekong giant catfish is the largest freshwater fish, a species endemic to the Mekong River that migrates huge distances to spawn. They are distinguished from other large catfish species by their near-total lack of barbels, or whiskers, as well as by the absence of teeth. The Mekong capture fishery is one of the largest in the worldwith 1.5 million tons caught annually, 16 percent of the world totalaccording to recent studies by the Mekong River Commission. These studies produced evidence that the Mekong giant catfish spawns in the area that will likely be impacted by the Mekong Navigation Improvement Project. The heaviest is the mekong giant catfish, up to 350 kg (770 lb). Fishing for these huge cats will test any angler and their equipment to the limit. For migratory species, such dams can disrupt several stages of the life cycle of the fish. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The fish is migratory, transboundary, and endemic to the Mekong River. Using a children's book about the giant catfish and the Mekong River, we are trying to introduce environmental knowledge in a way that's fun for kids. All rights reserved, What you should know about racehorse doping, The shocking ways wild animals use electricity. In 2003, fishers captured six giant catfish in Cambodia, all of which were released as part of the Mekong Fish Conservation Project.". The Mekong giant catfish Pangasianodon gigas is one of the worlds largest freshwater fish and a charismatic animal revered throughout the lower Mekong. Thus, the status of the species is one indicator of the health of the river. The bloody history of anti-Asian violence in the West, Survivors recall the terror of the first F5 tornado, How COVID-19 is changing our expectations for other vaccines, Endless online scrolling can literally make you sick, China's Mars rover touches down on the red planet. Conservationists have focused on the Mekong giant catfish as a flagship species to promote conservation on the river. These pics show some of the Mekong Giant Catfish caught towards the end of last high season. Managed correctly and sustainably, fish farming has the potential to increase fisheries productivity and provide food for hungry people. Growing pressure by fisheries, damming, and habitat destruction threaten not only the giant catfish and other species that live in the riverbut also the welfare of the people who depend on the Mekong. Why renewable energy is seeing a new dawn, Video Story, Why our coral reefs need hope, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC. What hope is there that the decline will be reversed or at least halted? The Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) is ranked as critically endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Common name: Mekong Giant Catfish Scientific name: Pangasianodon gigas Species: Mekong Giant It is now illegal in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia to harvest the critically endangered species, though giant catfishes still are illicitly caught, with some sold to restaurants in Vietnam. What in your opinion needs to be done at local, state, regional, and global levels to protect the Mekong and its systems of life? These ranchers are bringing it back. In the Mun River, the largest tributary to the Mekong, a dam blocks the migrations of giant catfish. The Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Program, together with the IUCN Water and Nature Initiative (based in Bangkok), recently conducted a biodiversity assessment and community fisheries study in Northern Lao PDR and Thailand. A Thai community rescues a 440-pound Mekong giant catfish on ice for sale in the Mekong and its fish highest Fish among 1,200 species found in the conservation of the species is protected the! 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