• Home
  • Metro Asian News
  • Misc Asia
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Art
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Eat Out
  • Classified
  • PODCAST
    • Apa Kabar Indonesia
    • Atlanta Burmese Voice
    • SungKhom Lao
    • Usapang Pinoy
ABOUT
Advertise in GAT
Contact us
Thursday, June 30, 2022
Georgia Asian Times
International Insurance of Georgia
  • Home
  • Metro Asian News
  • Misc Asia
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Art
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Eat Out
  • Classified
  • PODCAST
    • Apa Kabar Indonesia
    • Atlanta Burmese Voice
    • SungKhom Lao
    • Usapang Pinoy
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Metro Asian News
  • Misc Asia
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Art
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Eat Out
  • Classified
  • PODCAST
    • Apa Kabar Indonesia
    • Atlanta Burmese Voice
    • SungKhom Lao
    • Usapang Pinoy
No Result
View All Result
Georgia Asian Times
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Metro Asian News
  • Misc Asia
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Art
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Eat Out
  • Classified
  • PODCAST
Home Misc Asia

Cambodian catches world’s largest recorded freshwater fish

The stingray, captured on June 13, measured almost 4 meters (13 feet) from snout to tail and weighed slightly under 660 pounds

Georgia Asian Times by Georgia Asian Times
June 21, 2022
in Misc Asia
Cambodian catches world’s largest recorded freshwater fish
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Bangkok, June 21, 2022 — The world’s largest recorded freshwater fish, a giant stingray, has been caught in the Mekong River in Cambodia, according to scientists from the Southeast Asian nation and the United States.

The stingray, captured on June 13, measured almost 4 meters (13 feet) from snout to tail and weighed slightly under 300 kilograms (660 pounds), according to a statement Monday by Wonders of the Mekong, a joint Cambodian-U.S. research project.

The previous record for a freshwater fish was a 293-kilogram (646-pound) Mekong giant catfish, discovered in Thailand in 2005, the group said.

The stingray was snagged by a local fisherman south of Stung Treng in northeastern Cambodia. The fisherman alerted a nearby team of scientists from the Wonders of the Mekong project, which has publicized its conservation work in communities along the river.

AD: High Museum of Atlanta

The scientists arrived within hours of getting a post-midnight call with the news, and were amazed at what they saw.

“Yeah, when you see a fish this size, especially in freshwater, it is hard to comprehend, so I think all of our team was stunned,” Wonders of the Mekong leader Zeb Hogan said in an online interview from the University of Nevada in Reno. The university is partnering with the Cambodian Fisheries Administration and USAID, the U.S. government’s international development agency.

Freshwater fish are defined as those that spend their entire lives in freshwater, as opposed to giant marine species such as bluefin tuna and marlin, or fish that migrate between fresh and saltwater like the huge beluga sturgeon.

The stingray’s catch was not just about setting a new record, he said.

“The fact that the fish can still get this big is a hopeful sign for the Mekong River, ” Hogan said, noting that the waterway faces many environmental challenges.

The Mekong River runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is home to several species of giant freshwater fish but environmental pressures are rising. In particular, scientists fear a major program of dam building in recent years may be seriously disrupting spawning grounds.

“Big fish globally are endangered. They’re high-value species. They take a long time to mature. So if they’re fished before they mature, they don’t have a chance to reproduce,” Hogan said. “A lot of these big fish are migratory, so they need large areas to survive. They’re impacted by things like habitat fragmentation from dams, obviously impacted by overfishing. So about 70% of giant freshwater fish globally are threatened with extinction, and all of the Mekong species.”

The team that rushed to the site inserted a tagging device near the tail of the mighty fish before releasing it. The device will send tracking information for the next year, providing unprecedented data on giant stingray behavior in Cambodia.

“The giant stingray is a very poorly understood fish. Its name, even its scientific name, has changed several times in the last 20 years,” Hogan said. “It’s found throughout Southeast Asia, but we have almost no information about it. We don’t know about its life history. We don’t know about its ecology, about its migration patters.”

Researchers say it’s the fourth giant stingray reported in the same area in the past two months, all of them females. They think this may be a spawning hotspot for the species.

Local residents nicknamed the stingray “Boramy,” or “full moon,” because of its round shape and because the moon was on the horizon when it was freed on June 14. In addition to the honor of having caught the record-breaker, the lucky fisherman was compensated at market rate, meaning he received a payment of around $600. – AP

Tags: stingrayWonders of Mekong
Previous Post

Hong Kong’s iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant capsizes at sea

Next Post

Georgia runoffs to decide secretary of state, other nominees

Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times

Related Posts

Marcos takes helm in Philippines, silent on father’s abuses
Misc Asia

Marcos takes helm in Philippines, silent on father’s abuses

June 30, 2022
As COVID fears ebb, Japan readies for tourists from abroad
Misc Asia

As COVID fears ebb, Japan readies for tourists from abroad

June 28, 2022
‘Deepest shipwreck’: US WWII ship found off Philippines
Misc Asia

‘Deepest shipwreck’: US WWII ship found off Philippines

June 26, 2022
A new leader in the Philippines, and a family’s old wounds
Misc Asia

A new leader in the Philippines, and a family’s old wounds

June 24, 2022
First ever AAPI Unity March in Washington DC to drive social, civic, and economic change
Misc Asia

First ever AAPI Unity March in Washington DC to drive social, civic, and economic change

June 23, 2022
Myanmar says Suu Kyi held alone in new prison quarters
Misc Asia

Myanmar says Suu Kyi held alone in new prison quarters

June 23, 2022
Next Post
Georgia runoffs to decide secretary of state, other nominees

Georgia runoffs to decide secretary of state, other nominees

Signup Free E-Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Jul 15
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia-2022 Awards Gala

Sep 17
September 17 @ 11:00 am - September 18 @ 6:00 pm

JapanFest 2022

View Calendar

 

CONTACT US

Follow Us

MOST INFLUENTIAL

GAT 25 Most influential Asian American in Georgia Awards Gala

2022 GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia

May 1, 2022
Home

Record turnout at annual GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia-Awards Gala

July 17, 2021

2021 GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia

April 30, 2021

LINKS OF INTEREST

ATL Asian Film Festival

GAT on Facebook

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise in GAT
  • ABOUT

© 2022 Georgia Asian Times - empowered by 8SOL

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Metro Asian News
  • Misc Asia
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Art
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Eat Out
  • Classified
  • PODCAST
    • Apa Kabar Indonesia
    • Atlanta Burmese Voice
    • SungKhom Lao
    • Usapang Pinoy

© 2022 Georgia Asian Times - empowered by 8SOL

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist