A Big Stingray May Be the World’s Greatest Freshwater Fish
For 17 many years, Zeb Hogan, a biologist, has been browsing for the world’s largest freshwater fish. On June 13, his team found it — a giant freshwater stingray, or Urogymnus polylepis.
The ray, hauled out of the murky waters of the Mekong River in Cambodia, calculated 13 toes in size ahead of it was returned to the river. And at 661 lbs ., it was 15 kilos heavier than a Mekong large catfish caught in Thailand in 2005. Dr. Hogan mentioned he experienced earlier established that freshwater fish as the largest ever caught.
Whilst this species of big stingray has an very unsafe venomous barb that can achieve practically a foot in length, they are not ordinarily a danger to individuals. Extra normally, they wind up in the marketplace as a supply of inexpensive protein.
Fishers in Cambodia to start with alerted Dr. Hogan and his crew at Miracles of the Mekong Venture, which operates to guard the Southeast Asian river’s aquatic variety and is sponsored by the U.S. Company for International Growth, that they had caught a stingray more substantial than any individual had at any time seen. Staff members rushed to the compact river island, called Koh Preah, and lined up a few industrial scales. Applying a tarp, they hoisted the stingray out of the water and on to the scales to verify its pounds.
The discovery will come much less than a month after yet another large stingray — that 1 weighing 400 lbs — was caught and released close by. Two other monumental rays have also been caught this yr.
“The point that the world’s greatest freshwater fish was caught in the Mekong is amazing,” Dr. Hogan reported. “This is a closely populated area, and the river faces a ton of difficulties, including loads of fishing.”
In yet another initial, Dr. Hogan’s crew was equipped to fit the stingray with an acoustic tag to monitor the animal for up to one particular calendar year with an array of 36 underwater receivers that were being also a short while ago mounted in a stretch of the river.
“This is the to start with fish that we have tagged given that acquiring the array deployed,” stated Dr. Hogan, who is also a investigation associate professor at the College of Nevada, Reno. In the months ahead, they strategy to tag hundreds of supplemental fishes.
With so lots of huge stingrays caught in latest months and all of them female, Dr. Hogan believes this extend of the river and the deep swimming pools it has are a vital breeding ground for the species. The region is also home to freshwater dolphins, big comfortable-shell turtles, giant catfish and giant barb, which is in the carp household.
“So it’s a really distinctive spot, and pretty understudied,” he said. North American and European river units acquire much additional scientific interest.
Although breaking the world file was not scientifically significant, Dr. Hogan explained that the existence of this fish is an indicator for the health of its ecosystem. He also hoped the discovery reminds the regional community how specific this river is, and how considerably it’s in need of preserving.
Since of a mixture of components, such as dam building, overfishing and weather improve, major freshwater fish populations are typically in decrease. And quite a few species of major fish are in threat of disappearing forever.
“In 2020, one of the contenders for the world’s greatest freshwater fish, recognised as the Chinese paddlefish, was declared extinct,” Dr. Hogan explained. “That was very unfortunate news, and it experienced me sensation like we ended up heading to see more extinctions of these major fish, rather than information remaining broken.”
The good thing is, the huge stingrays are not the only giant fish stories of late. In 2021, a record-location 240-pound lake sturgeon was caught and produced in the Detroit River. And in Might, a almost 300-pound alligator gar may possibly have damaged the Texas state document for the freshwater fish, although the angler chose to release the animal somewhat than eliminate it and bring it in to be weighed.
“When you listen to stories about document fish, that is a good signal,” Dr. Hogan mentioned.
For 17 many years, Zeb Hogan, a biologist, has been browsing for the world’s largest freshwater fish. On June 13, his team found it — a giant freshwater stingray, or Urogymnus polylepis.
The ray, hauled out of the murky waters of the Mekong River in Cambodia, calculated 13 toes in size ahead of it was returned to the river. And at 661 lbs ., it was 15 kilos heavier than a Mekong large catfish caught in Thailand in 2005. Dr. Hogan mentioned he experienced earlier established that freshwater fish as the largest ever caught.
Whilst this species of big stingray has an very unsafe venomous barb that can achieve practically a foot in length, they are not ordinarily a danger to individuals. Extra normally, they wind up in the marketplace as a supply of inexpensive protein.
Fishers in Cambodia to start with alerted Dr. Hogan and his crew at Miracles of the Mekong Venture, which operates to guard the Southeast Asian river’s aquatic variety and is sponsored by the U.S. Company for International Growth, that they had caught a stingray more substantial than any individual had at any time seen. Staff members rushed to the compact river island, called Koh Preah, and lined up a few industrial scales. Applying a tarp, they hoisted the stingray out of the water and on to the scales to verify its pounds.
The discovery will come much less than a month after yet another large stingray — that 1 weighing 400 lbs — was caught and released close by. Two other monumental rays have also been caught this yr.
“The point that the world’s greatest freshwater fish was caught in the Mekong is amazing,” Dr. Hogan reported. “This is a closely populated area, and the river faces a ton of difficulties, including loads of fishing.”
In yet another initial, Dr. Hogan’s crew was equipped to fit the stingray with an acoustic tag to monitor the animal for up to one particular calendar year with an array of 36 underwater receivers that were being also a short while ago mounted in a stretch of the river.
“This is the to start with fish that we have tagged given that acquiring the array deployed,” stated Dr. Hogan, who is also a investigation associate professor at the College of Nevada, Reno. In the months ahead, they strategy to tag hundreds of supplemental fishes.
With so lots of huge stingrays caught in latest months and all of them female, Dr. Hogan believes this extend of the river and the deep swimming pools it has are a vital breeding ground for the species. The region is also home to freshwater dolphins, big comfortable-shell turtles, giant catfish and giant barb, which is in the carp household.
“So it’s a really distinctive spot, and pretty understudied,” he said. North American and European river units acquire much additional scientific interest.
Although breaking the world file was not scientifically significant, Dr. Hogan explained that the existence of this fish is an indicator for the health of its ecosystem. He also hoped the discovery reminds the regional community how specific this river is, and how considerably it’s in need of preserving.
Since of a mixture of components, such as dam building, overfishing and weather improve, major freshwater fish populations are typically in decrease. And quite a few species of major fish are in threat of disappearing forever.
“In 2020, one of the contenders for the world’s greatest freshwater fish, recognised as the Chinese paddlefish, was declared extinct,” Dr. Hogan explained. “That was very unfortunate news, and it experienced me sensation like we ended up heading to see more extinctions of these major fish, rather than information remaining broken.”
The good thing is, the huge stingrays are not the only giant fish stories of late. In 2021, a record-location 240-pound lake sturgeon was caught and produced in the Detroit River. And in Might, a almost 300-pound alligator gar may possibly have damaged the Texas state document for the freshwater fish, although the angler chose to release the animal somewhat than eliminate it and bring it in to be weighed.
“When you listen to stories about document fish, that is a good signal,” Dr. Hogan mentioned.