“This historic event highlights the success of USAID’s Wonders of the Mekong project,” said USAID/Cambodia Acting Mission Director Hanh Nguyen. Recognizing the importance of his catch, the fisher quickly contacted a team from the USAID-funded Wonders of the Mekong research project to help release the ray, an endangered species, back into the river. The record-breaking stingray, which measured over 13 feet (almost four meters) from snout to tail, was hooked by a fisher south of the town of Stung Treng, in the middle stretches of the Mekong River as it runs through northern Cambodia. Freshwater fish are defined as those that have spent their entire lives in freshwater, as opposed to giant marine species like bluefin tuna and marlin, or fish that migrate between fresh and saltwater like the huge beluga sturgeon. The startling size of the endangered fish, whose weight was confirmed by scientists as twice that of an average lowland gorilla, makes it larger than the 646-pound (293 kilos) Mekong giant catfish caught in Thailand in 2005, which was the previous record-holder for largest freshwater fish on Earth. Stung Treng, Cambodia – What has long been one of the great wildlife mysteries – the identity of the world’s largest freshwater fish – appears to have been solved last week when a fisherman in northern Cambodia, working with an international team of scientists, discovered a 661-pound (300 kilos) giant freshwater stingray near a remote island in the Mekong River. They can suck them up with this banana-shaped mouth and crush them,” Hogan said.International team now tracking the 661-pound giant freshwater stingray's movements to better understand and protect the species and key freshwater habitats “They’re on the bottom finding shrimps, molluscs and small fish. The creature has a mouth about “the size of a banana” with no teeth, but with “gripping pads” used to crush prey. Hogan said little was known about the giant freshwater stingray. “It works because the fish is not a highly prized food fish,” Hogan said. The fisherman who caught the record ray was paid market price for his catch. The group has helped with two other giant freshwater stingray releases in recent months. In this photo provided by Wonders of the Mekong taken on June 14, 2022, a team of Cambodian and American scientists and researchers, along with Fisheries Administration officials prepare to release a giant freshwater stingray back into the Mekong River in the northeastern province of Stung Treng, Cambodia. “We started focusing on this area as a stretch of river that’s particularly important for biodiversity and fisheries, and as a last refuge for these big species.”įor several months, the research group has been in contact with local fishermen, asking them to get in touch if they landed a significant catch. “It’s a particularly healthy stretch of the river with a lot of deep pools - pools up to 90 metres deep,” said Hogan, who is also the host of National Geographic’s Monster Fish television series. Watch: Woman risks life trying to take a photo in Rio de Janeiro. The fisherman, Moul Thun, caught the giant stingray with a hook and line on the evening of June 13, and then contacted researchers the next morning. “You have a fish that’s now the record holder for the world’s largest freshwater fish, and we know little about it.” Credit: Chhut Chheana /AP A fisherman in northern Cambodia hooked what researchers say is the world’s largest freshwater fish Credit: NBC A local fisherman caught the 661-pound (300-kilogram) stingray, which set the record for the world's largest known freshwater fish and earned him a $600 reward. The catch “highlights how little we know about a lot of these giant freshwater fish,” said Zeb Hogan, a fish biologist at the University of Nevada. The tag - which emits an acoustic signal - will allow researchers to track the fish’s movements and, they hope, learn more about its species’ behaviour in the Mekong. The research group believes it was healthy when released and expects it to survive. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >
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