Cambodian villagers on the Mekong River have caught what researchers say is the world’s biggest freshwater fish ever recorded, a stingray that weighed in at 661 pounds (about 300 kilograms).
The gigantic fish took around a dozen men to haul to shore.
Named Boramy — meaning “full moon” in the Khmer language — because of her bulbous shape, the four-meter (13-foot) female was released back into the river after being electronically tagged to allow scientists to monitor her movement and behavior.
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“This is very exciting news because it was the world’s largest (freshwater) fish,” said biologist Zeb Hogan, ex-host of the “Monster Fish” show on the National Geographic Channel and now part of Wonders of the Mekong, a conservation project on the river.
“It is also exciting news because it means that this stretch of the Mekong is still healthy…. It is a sign of hope that these huge fish still live (here).”
Boramy took the record from a 645-pound (293-kilogram) giant catfish that was caught upstream in northern Thailand in 2005.
After a fisherman hooked the stingray (an endangered species), he contacted Wonders of the Mekong, which helped tag the ray and release it back into the river.
The Mekong has the third-most diverse fish population in the world, according to its River Commission — though overfishing, pollution, saltwater intrusion and sediment depletion have caused stocks to plummet.
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