![]() John Janssen, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences, tells Popular Mechanics the Mekong is an old, large river, which allows enough time for evolution to produce an extra-large fish. Huge catfish hauled from Mekong River being admired by locals. New dams could fragment habitats, lead to overfishing, and threaten the giant Mekong species, Hogan says. The Mekong River, already with a storied history of mega-sized freshwater fish, runs through six countries-China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam-but new dams can dampen fish’s ability to naturally grow. ![]() Ronald Oldfield, Ph.D, a senior instructor at Case Western Reserve University, tells Popular Mechanics that capturing such a large fish in the Mekong River shows it “might not be too late and the river might still be capable of supporting such large fishes if it is managed wisely.” “It’s an issue throughout Asia, where populations of giant freshwater fish have declined by over 95 percent since 1970.” ![]() “Unfortunately, populations of most of these species have plummeted, and some are now on the brink of extinction,” Hogan says. A handful of giant stingrays have already been seen in the area this year, leading researchers to believe the spot could be a popular spawning location. In fact, the Mekong River is home to many of the world’s largest freshwater fish: giant freshwater stingray, giant barb, giant pangasius, seven-striped bard, giant wallago catfish, and goonch catfish.” The area is also home to freshwater dolphins and giant soft-shell turtles. So, historically, the Mekong has been a great place to be a big fish. “Over two million tons of fish are harvested from the Mekong River each year. “The Mekong is one of the largest and most productive rivers in the world,” Hogan explains.
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