A fisherman has caught the world’s largest freshwater fish ever recorded in the Mekong River in Cambodia. The animal is a giant freshwater stingray that is almost four meters long and weighs almost 300 kilograms. announced the American-Cambodian research project Wonders of the Mekong. The female was caught on June 13 in the northeast of the country. The previous record was held by a 293-kilo Mekong giant catfish that was caught in northern Thailand in 2005.
The latest find left the team speechless, quotes the magazine National Geographic the leader of the research project, Zeb Hogan. The University of Nevada expert has been documenting large freshwater fish for nearly two decades. The catch gives new hope, he emphasized: “It proves that these acutely endangered underwater giants still exist.”
Unlike the giant catfish in Thailand, the giant ray was not killed and eaten, but released back into the wild equipped with an acoustic tracking device. “When the stingray passes through our network of 36 receivers, we can collect data on its migration and behavior for the first time,” the statement said.
The fish was christened “Boramy”, which means “full moon” in Khmer – because not only is its body shape round, but it was also released back into the Mekong during the recent full moon. In Cambodia, the term is also used for beautiful women.
“When people see these animals exist and realize how incredible they are, they get inspired,” says Hogan. “The fish that broke the record in 2005 was killed and its meat sold.” The new record holder, on the other hand, will be observed by scientists on her journey through the river. “It’s such a contrast. It means all is not lost.”