Giant Catfish May Be World's Largest Freshwater
Fish
Fishers
in northern Thailand netted this huge catfish in the Mekong River on May 1.
Nearly nine feet long (2.7 meters) and as big as a grizzly bear, the behemoth
tipped the scales at 646 pounds (293 kilograms). Experts say the fish, which
belongs to the species known as the Mekong giant catfish, may be the largest
freshwater fish ever recorded. Listed a critically endangered by the World
Conservation Union (IUCN), the Mekong giant catfish is one of the world's
largest freshwater fishes. Other contenders include the Chinese paddlefish and
the dog-eating catfish—another Mekong River giant.
Thai fishers struggled for more than an hour to
haul in the record-breaking Mekong giant catfish. Officials from Thailand's
Inland Fishery Deparment then used a performance-enhancing drug to stimulate
the pituitary gland of the female fish in order to prepare it for a breeding
program (above). Despite efforts to keep the bear-size catfish alive, it died
and was later eaten by villagers. The species is listed as critically endangered
by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and faces a high risk of extinction in
the wild. The rare specimen, captured in the Mekong River in Chiang Khong
district, is the largest since Thailand began keeping records in 1981.
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