This helps save the species, as lakes purchase the small fry from the government breeding programme, generating extra income that allows the breeding program to function. After about a year, they become herbivores, and eat plants and algae. But there are others as well. CANCEL APPLY. {{purchaseLicenseLabel}} {{restrictedAssetLabel}} {{buyOptionLabel(option)}} You have view only access under this Premium Access agreement. Understanding of the species’ migration pattern is incomplete. 16 avr. Facts about the Mekong River Giant Catfish . [12] Millions of tons of fish are harvested in Cambodia every year, with spawning fish being over-harvested. Often, the size of a catfish often depends on the species of the fish. Barbels are present on the juveniles. Keywords (separated by comma) CANCEL APPLY. [1] However, in recognition of the threat to the species, nearly 60 Thai fishermen agreed to stop catching the endangered catfish in June 2006, to mark the 60th anniversary of Bhumibol Adulyadej's ascension to the throne of Thailand. Fishers in northern Thailand netted this largest catfish in the Mekong River on May 1. Mekong giant catfish spawn in the Golden Triangle—a region where the borders of Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and China meet. Contributor. 2013 - These are some of the biggest (and ugliest) creatures on the planet. It can reach up to 440 pounds in only six years. The Mekong River Catfish is one of the largest freshwater fish on the planet. Fragmentation caused by dams increasingly poses threats to larval fish. A: This Thai catfish feeds on zooplankton when it is young and starts feeding on algae when it is a year old. The color of the Mekong Giant Catfish is a light gray with silver at the top. [16] The current IUCN Red List for fishes classes the species as Critically Endangered; the number living in the wild is unknown, but catch data indicate the population has fallen by 80 percent in the last 14 years. This species, which holds the Guinness Book of World Records’ position for the world’s largest freshwater fish, is the Mekong giant catfish, or Pangasianodon gigas, which can grow to weights up to 330 to, reportedly, 650 lbs and reach lengths of almost 10 feet. Tuna Loco, Feb 9, 2011. Mekong Catfish - Mekong aren't very likely to take a deadbait but the large and double sweetcorn can work wonders when you are trying to catch them. Attaining an unconfirmed length of 3 m (9.8 ft), the Mekong giant catfish grows extremely quickly, reaching a mass of 150 to 200 kg (330 to 440 lb) in six years. Fishing for the Mekong giant catfish is illegal in the wild in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, but the bans appear to be ineffective and the fish continue to be caught in all three countries. Attaining an unconfirmed length of 3 m (9.8 ft), the Mekong giant catfish grows extremely quickly, reaching a mass of 150 to 200 kg (330 to 440 lb) in six years. [8][13] Overfishing, damming, destruction of spawning, and breeding grounds and siltation have taken a toll on the species' habitat. Species: Mekong Giant… A giant Pangasius catfish caught in Thailand's Mekong River in 2005 reportedly weighed 650 pounds. It was almost nine feet long and the size of a grizzly bear, weighing 646 pounds. Nearly nine feet long (2.7 meters) and as big as a grizzly bear, the behemoth tipped the scales at … In 2001 they caught seven. Mekong giant catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, a large, critically endangered species of catfish native to the Mekong basin i. 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