Four Giant Catfish Released Into Mekong ~~ can be 10 feet long and weigh as much as 660 pounds.

Las Vegas Sun ^ | June 15, 2005 at 12:01:22 PDT | ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Four endangered giant catfish were released Wednesday into the Mekong River after seven years of captivity in hopes of boosting the population of the species, which has fallen sharply in the last two decades.

Calling the rare fish "an omen of luck and prosperity," their owner, Ing Vannath, said he wanted to repay that good fortune "by returning them to their natural habitat to allow them the chance to swim freely," according to a statement from the World Wildlife Fund.

The four adult fish weighed between 99 pounds and 110 pounds each and measured about nearly five feet long. The species - believed to be the world's largest freshwater fish - can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 660 pounds.

The Mekong giant catfish, or Pangasianodon gigas, can be found living wild only in the Mekong and its tributaries and is listed as critically endangered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna.

Its population has fallen by about 90 percent in just 20 years due to overfishing, dam building and navigation projects.

Ing Vannath said he bought 13 baby catfish from a fisherman in 1997, unaware they were an endangered species. Seven died in his pond and he donated two to a Buddhist pagoda. He handed the remaining four to the World Wildlife Fund last year.

"I decided to hand over the fish to WWF because I thought they will die if I keep raising them by myself," Ing Vannath said as conservationists released the fish into the Mekong and one of its tributaries, the Tonle Sap, in the capital of Phnom Penh.

Concerned that the fish may have trouble adapting to life in their natural habitat, the WWF fitted them with tags to warn fishermen they must be released back into the river.

"Subsequent capture and release may demonstrate that the fish have not only been able to survive but have also managed to retain their instinct to migrate to reproduce," said WWF Director-General Claude Martin.

There is no penalty in Cambodian law for keeping the fish in captivity.

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On the Net: http://www.wwf.org/

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[Brad's Gramma]

Glub glub!!!

[Spok]

I can smell the hush puppies!

[Sloth]

"Zhao Shi, we need more cornmeal!"

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Man Hooks World Record 124-Pound Catfish (catfish on display in Cabela's fish tank)

Wait till this babies in the mekong grow up!

[evets]

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Wait till these babies in the mekong grow up!

[johnny7]

You any good at 'noodlin?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I use to catch 2 lb Bullheads in the Farm Ponds in Kansas, I thought they were big!

[Hatteras]

"Fish, I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends" - Hemingway

[biggerten]

Heck, I use them for bait.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

No Way, they got sharp points on their whiskers!

[Victor]

Damn!! That's one big catfish. I know some deep lake cats here in the US can get quite large, some 200 lbs.

But 660 lbs is a freakin monster!

[porkchops 4 mahound]

Man! Can you imagine the size of frying pan you'd need for those critters?

Not to mention the amount of cornmeal and oil!

[Central Scrutiniser]

Mekong cats are big! I've been on the river at several points from western Laos to the delta, no matter how many they put back, they will be caught and eaten.

Its an amazing river, never tamed, hopefully it won't be.

[mass55th]

Didn't John Kerry claim to have caught a giant catfish while on his way to Cambodia via the Mekong, and wasn't he wearing his lucky hat received from the CIA guy at the time?

;-)

[Hatteras]

[eastforker]

Anyone know what has become of freetrapper?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

He lies too much, can't trust what he says.

[xenophiles]

Concerned that the fish may have trouble adapting to life in their natural habitat, the WWF fitted them with tags to warn fishermen they must be released back into the river.

So a Cambodian fisherman is supposed to release a 100 pound fish because it has a little tag on it that says so.

Either the Cambodians are an astonishingly law-abiding people, or the WWF is deluding itself.

[Central Scrutiniser]

I saw a picture at the golden triangle area of an oarfish, a very rare deepwater ocean fish that was caught in Laos during the Vietnam war. This thing entered the Mekong, and was caught, it required about 15 people to hold it up, its a very long eel like fish, amazing photo, I'm sure someone has it on the web.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Catfish threads at FR

[Bluegrass Conservative]

Damn, that's a little kid!!! :-)

[ahayes]

Maybe he got eaten by a 660 lb catfish.

Seriously, that sounds big enough to eat a few toddlers.

[dead]

Swimming to freedom ... Cambodia men release a Mekong giant catfish in the Phnom
Penh river, Cambodia. Four Mekong giant catfish raised in captivity were released
into the wild in a ceremony aimed at raising awareness of the endangered species.
Photo: AFP

[xJones]

Uh, catfish don't have teeth, just big whiskers. Still, I wouldn't want to be swimming around anything 10 feet long, 600 lbs. with a huge mouth.

[evets]

[csmusaret]

My old man caught one so big we coudn't weigh it so we took a picture. The negative weighed 5 lbs.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for adding the picture.

[Hatteras]

Awww, Come on, Jonah, let's go swimmin'! what are you? SCARED?!!!

[bwteim]

Here's an oldie

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That is a long fish!

[Central Scrutiniser]

That's it! The picture is everywhere on the Triangle area, in every resturant, hotel.

Amazing.

[porkchops 4 mahound]

LOL!

[mass55th]

Is this the one?

Giant Oarfish

[LexBaird]

The species - believed to be the world's largest freshwater fish - can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 660 pounds.

Don't sturgeon get into this range?

[xJones]

Awww, Come on, Jonah, let's go swimmin'! what are you? SCARED?!!!

Why do I have to put up with doubting Thomases like you? You probably think I'm a little nervous because of that catfish in Kansas last year that tried to swallow a basketball.

Nonsense, don't be silly.:)

[phasma proeliator]

Yup... and bigger I believe - but I don't think all sturgeon are "fresh water"...

[Central Scrutiniser]

That's the photo, but they said it was caught in the mekong, who knows? I think there are all kinds of stories about that picture. It certainly makes more sense to be caught in the actual ocean, rather than up a river.

Its a rare deep water fish, one was seen in Cabo when it came up to die, they tried to save it, but it was too late.

[Central Scrutiniser]

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Speaking as a southern redneck, one of those babys would make for a lot of hush puppy side orders

[Grut]

Either that 'fish' has got an awful case of rigor mortis or it's a piece of driftwood. There's six feet between the third and fourth guys holding it (counting from the head) and the body doesn't droop at all.

[kanawa]

[Redleg Duke]

John Francois Kerry's mission to Cambodia on the Mekong was to wipe out the dreaded Catfish! It is seared in his mind...and if he ever drops his trousers, you will see the scars!

[Elsie]

Concerned that the fish may have trouble adapting to life in their natural habitat, the WWF fitted them with tags to warn fishermen they must be released back into the river.

.

.

.

. There is no penalty in Cambodian law for keeping the fish in captivity.

Oh yeah...

THIS'll work!!!!

[joesnuffy]

They get pretty big...used to enjoy feeding the ville
by tossing concussion grenades off the bridge and bringing
the unconscious ones off the bottom..

The kids loved it...and would swim out and drag em into shore

[taxed2death]

I saw that "noodlin'" on TV recently, I almost fell out of my chair laughing. That's a strange way to catch a fish.

[phil1750]

catfish don't have teeth, just big whiskers

You obviously know very little about catfish. Though small, their rows of teeth can do lots of damage.

[Osage Orange]

Uh, catfish don't have teeth, just big whiskers

Ha..!! Obviously you've never noodled..!! They most certainly have "teeth"...not shark like "teeth"..but they have um!

[xJones]

You obviously know very little about catfish. Though small, their rows of teeth can do lots of damage.

The closest I ever come to catfish is when they're fried & on the platter in a good catfish restuarant. I've never had any interest in them until they come out of the kitchen.:)