Journal 5: Mekong Giant Catfish
Date: November 3rd, 2017
Mekong giant catfish, a critically endangered species, is one of the
largest fish in the world. It can reach 10 feet (3 meters) long and weigh
up to 650 pounds (300 kilograms). This animal has suffered from
overfishing, dam building, and habitat destruction.This scaleless
freshwater fish lives in Southeast Asia’s Mekong River. Mekong giant
catfish live mainly in the lower half of the Mekong River system, in
Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Their physical characteristics
include, having very low-set eyes, silvery to dark gray colors on their
upper body parts and whitish to yellow on their lower body parts. They
are toothless herbivores who live off the plants and algae in the river.
Their population in the Mekong basin has dropped by
approximately 95 percent over the past century, and are now on the
verge of extinction. Some experts say overfishing is the primary factor
in the giant catfish’s decline, but damming of Mekong tributaries,
destruction of spawning and breeding grounds, and siltation have taken a
huge toll. As a result there may only be a few hundred adults left.
There have been many international efforts and guidelines put
forth to save these species. It is now illegal in Thailand, Laos, and
Cambodia to harvest giant catfish. In Thailand, a group of fishers even
pledged to stop catching giant catfish to honor the king’s 60th year on
the throne. However, enforcement of fishing restrictions in many
isolated little villages along the Mekong is impossible, but there is a lot
