Experts from Cambodia and the United States agreed that the world's largest freshwater fish, a giant stingray, has been caught in the Mekong River in Cambodia.
According to CBS News, a collaborative Cambodian-US study initiative called Wonders of the Mekong said a fisherman grabbed the stingray on June 13.
From nose to tail, the freshwater fish reached about 13 feet (four meters) and weighed just under 660 pounds (300 kilos).
According to the organization, a 293-kilogram (646-pound), Mekong giant catfish discovered in Thailand in 2005 held the previous record for a freshwater animal.
Fisherman Captures World's Largest Stingray in Cambodia
According to Zeb Hogan, a fish scientist at the University of Nevada, Reno, a fisherman mistakenly grabbed the female stingray in the Mekong River in Cambodia's northern province of Stung Treng.
"Wonders of the Mekong research team tagged and released the giant stingray back into the Mekong River," Hogan, who also hosts "Monster Fish" on National Geographic Wild, said (via USA Today). "We will be able to track its movements over the next year."
He told National Geographic that the capture proved that while the underwater leviathans are in critical danger, they still exist.
Previously, the largest freshwater fish captured was a 9-foot Mekong giant catfish found in northern Thailand in 2005. The catfish weighed 646 pounds, according to Guinness World Records.
Before releasing the stingray back into the river on June 14, a team of Cambodian and American scientists, researchers, and authorities from the Fisheries Administration measured its length from snout to tail.
After being electronically tagged, the four-meter (13-foot) female was put back into the river to let scientists track her movement and behavior.
The stingray was given the name Boramy, which means "full moon" in Khmer. Boramy was caught last week off the Koh Preah island, located in the river's northern Cambodian section.
After catching the endangered stingray, a fisherman called Wonders of the Mekong, which assisted in tagging the ray and releasing it back into the river.
It's the fourth big female stingray to be discovered in the exact location in the last two months, according to researchers. According to the researchers, this might be a breeding center for the species.
The lucky fisherman was reimbursed at the market rate, which meant he got roughly $600 in addition to the distinction of having caught the record-breaker.
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About The Mekong River
Reuters (via CNN), citing the Mekong River Commission, said the Mekong boasts the world's third-most diversified fish population. Yet, overfishing, pollution, saltwater intrusion, and sediment depletion have caused populations to drop.
China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam are all connected by the Mekong River. Several kinds of big freshwater fish call it home, but environmental constraints are increasing.
Scientists are concerned that a significant dam-building effort that began in recent years may be adversely damaging spawning sites.
According to Wonders of the Mekong, stingrays have been particularly sensitive to these changes, with mass deaths occurring despite conservation measures like fishing limits and river guards.
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