In recent years, a large fish thought to be extinct has been spotted in the Mekong River three times. The giant salmon carp is a predatory fish that can grow up to four feet long and weigh up to 66 pounds.
It has a distinctive hooked jaw and a patch of yellow around its eyes. According to Chheana Chhut, a researcher at the Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the giant salmon carp serves as a symbol of the Mekong region.
The last confirmed sighting of the elusive fish was in 2005. Since then, the rare species seemed to have disappeared from the Mekong region. Experts were afraid it had gone extinct.
Starting in 2017, biologists have been tracking migratory fish species in Cambodia. Over the years, they have developed relationships with local fishing communities, asking them to report any strange sightings.
Thanks to the local fishermen, researchers were made aware of three giant salmon carp found in the Mekong River and a tributary in Cambodia between 2020 and 2023.
In 2020, some fishermen caught a giant salmon carp, but the fish was sold before scientists could examine it. However, three years later, two other catches were made in the Mekong River.
The researchers were notified, and they bought the fish immediately. They confirmed that the two specimens were of the giant salmon carp. The species was nicknamed the “Mekong ghost” because of its rarity.
The recent identifications were made outside of the fish’s known geographical range, suggesting that its distribution must be wider than previously believed. The sightings have renewed the researchers’ hope for the species’ survival.
“The rediscovery of the giant salmon carp is a reason for hope, not just for this species but for the entire Mekong ecosystem,” said Bunyeth Chan, the lead author of the study and a researcher from Svay Rieng University in Cambodia.
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