According to scientists from Cambodia and the United States, the world’s largest freshwater fish, a giant stingray, has been caught in the Mekong River in Cambodia.
According to a statement released Monday by Wonders of the Mekong, a collaborative Cambodian-US research project, the stingray was about 4 metres (13 feet) long from snout to tail and weighed just under 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds).
A 293-kilogram (646-pound) Mekong big catfish discovered in Thailand in 2005 held the previous record for a freshwater animal, according to the organisation.
A local fisherman caught the stingray south of Stung Treng in northeastern Cambodia. A nearby team of scientists from the Wonders of the Mekong project, which has highlighted its conservation efforts in communities along the river, was notified by the fisherman.
The scientists arrived within hours of receiving the news, and they were astounded by what they found.
In an online interview from the University of Nevada in Reno, Wonders of the Mekong leader Zeb Hogan remarked, ‘When you see a fish this huge, especially in freshwater, it is hard to fathom, so I think all of our team was stunned.’ The university is collaborating with the Cambodian Fisheries Administration and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Freshwater fish, as opposed to gigantic marine species like bluefin tuna and marlin, or fish that migrate between fresh and saltwater like the massive beluga sturgeon, spend their whole lives in freshwater.
He explained that the stingray’s catch wasn’t only about breaking a record.
‘The fact that the fish can still grow to this size is an encouraging sign for the Mekong River,’ Hogan added, stressing that the river is beset by environmental issues.
China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam are all connected by the Mekong River. Several kinds of big freshwater fish call it home, but environmental constraints are increasing. Scientists are concerned that a significant dam-building effort that began in recent years may be seriously damaging spawning sites.
‘Big fish are critically endangered all around the world. They’re a rare and valuable species. It takes a long time for them to mature. So if they’re fished before they reach sexual maturity, they won’t be able to procreate,’ Hogan explained. ‘Because a lot of these big fish are migratory, they require a lot of space to survive.’ They’re harmed by habitat fragmentation caused by dams, and they’re obviously harmed by overfishing. As a result, 70 percent of the world’s biggest freshwater fish, as well as all Mekong species, are endangered.’
Before releasing the big fish, the team that rushed to the scene attached a tagging device near its tail. The device will transmit tracking data for the following year, providing unprecedented insight into the habits of enormous stingrays in Cambodia.
‘The huge stingray is a fish that is largely unknown. In the previous 20 years, its name, even its scientific nomenclature, has changed multiple times,’ Hogan explained. ‘It’s found all over Southeast Asia, but we don’t know much about it.” We don’t know anything about its past. We have no idea about its ecology or migration patterns.’
It’s the fourth female big stingray to be discovered in the same location in the last two months, according to researchers. This could be a spawning centre for the species, according to the researchers.
Because of its spherical shape and the fact that the moon was on the horizon when it was released on June 14, locals dubbed the stingray ‘Boramy,’ or ‘full moon.’ The lucky fisherman was reimbursed at market rate, which meant he received roughly $600 in addition to the honour of having caught the record-breaker.
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