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Thai fishermen caught an amazingly huge catfish, one as big "as a grizzly bear." This set a world record for the largest freshwater fish ever found, according to researchers who studied the 646-pound Mekong giant catfish as part of a project to protect large freshwater fish. Read on to learn more about this amazing fish and see the photo...
The nearly 9-foot-long Mekong giant catfish was caught May 1, 2005 by villagers in Chiang Khong, a remote district in northern Thailand, and weighed by Thai fisheries department officials.
Mekong River is home to more species of giant fish than any other river in the world, researchers said. The fish was the heaviest recorded since Thai officials started tracking the species in 1981 and may be the largest freshwater fish ever discovered, the statement said.
The Mekong giant catfish, which shares the title of largest freshwater fish with a close relative, the dog-eating catfish, was listed as critically endangered in 2003 after research showed its numbers had fallen by at least 80 percent over the past 13 years, a phenomenon fishermen blame on dams and environmental damage along the Mekong River.
Wildlife officials urged the villagers to release the adult male so that it could spawn, but it later died. The Mekong giant catfish was then cut into chunks, sold to and eaten by members of the village.
Can you imagine the size of the stink bait they must have been using to catch this monster fish? I'm not sure I would want to be around that.
Catfish. It's what's for dinner.
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Comments provided by Bobby Ivie
Bobby Ivie is an avid fishman and owner of Fishing-Hunting-Camping.com and Fishing-Articles.net He makes his living online by building Virtual Real Estate
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