A fisher returns to shore with a Mekong giant catfish caught at Khone Falls in Laos last year. The huge species is illegal to catch and is generally caught accidentally. Today there may only be a few hundred adult giant catfish left in the entire Mekong River system. The group of fishers who caught this giant catfish initially hoped to sell it. But when they could not find any buyers, they ended up distributing the meat among people in their village. 
April 8, 2008—Children pose with a Mekong giant catfish caught at Khone Falls in Laos, near the border with Cambodia, in August last year. While the weight of the fish in the photo is unknown, the species holds the world record as the largest freshwater fish ever caught, weighing in at 646 pounds (293 kilograms). The Mekong giant catfish is listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union. "But a new dam project planned for Khone Falls threatens the migration of this so-called megafish, according to Zeb Hogan, who heads the National Geographic Society's Megafishes Project. From ANI
DailyIndia.com
Washington, April 9: The construction of a large hydroelectric dam in Laos might endanger the existence of the Mekong giant catfish, which is the world's largest catfish species.
According to a report in National Geographic News, the Don Sahong dam, being constructed at Khone Falls in Laos, would permanently alter one of the most pristine areas in Southeast Asia.
The dam is one of several being planned on the mostly untouched Mekong River, which meanders through six countries-China, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The Don Sahong dam, which is one of five dams that Laos is planning along the Mekong, will block the deepest channel on the section of the river that migratory fish pass through when the water level is at its lowest, according to conservationists.
One of those migratory fish is the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish, which holds the record as the largest freshwater fish ever caught.
The record catch, made in northern Thailand in 2005, tipped the scales at 646 pounds (293 kilograms).
"An impassable dam at the falls could cause the extinction of the Mekong giant catfish species," said Zeb Hogan, a fisheries biologist at the University of Nevada in Reno.
According to Hogan, giant catfish were once plentiful throughout the Mekong River basin, but in the last century, the population has declined 95 to 99 percent.
Though fishermen do not target the massive fish, it is sometimes caught as a bycatch. In Cambodia, where the largest population of giant catfish is found, eight of the giant fish were caught last year.
"Although fishing is the biggest immediate threat to the giant catfish in the Mekong, dams and habitat fragmentation could disrupt the animal's ability to reproduce," said Hogan.
Hogan indicates that there is only one known spawning ground for Mekong giant catfish, which is in northern Thailand.
"Until we know better, we have to assume that fish from Cambodia may migrate to Thailand to spawn," he said.
"The construction of the Don Sahong dam, which is slated for completion in 2010, would make that migration impossible," Hogan added.
The dam will block Hoo Sahong, the deepest channel and the only one that migratory fish can pass through at the peak of the dry season, in April and May, when the Mekong is at its lowest.
"From a migratory fish's perspective, there is nothing worse than a dam," said Hogan.
According to a report in National Geographic News, the Don Sahong dam, being constructed at Khone Falls in Laos, would permanently alter one of the most pristine areas in Southeast Asia.
The dam is one of several being planned on the mostly untouched Mekong River, which meanders through six countries-China, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The Don Sahong dam, which is one of five dams that Laos is planning along the Mekong, will block the deepest channel on the section of the river that migratory fish pass through when the water level is at its lowest, according to conservationists.
One of those migratory fish is the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish, which holds the record as the largest freshwater fish ever caught.
The record catch, made in northern Thailand in 2005, tipped the scales at 646 pounds (293 kilograms).
"An impassable dam at the falls could cause the extinction of the Mekong giant catfish species," said Zeb Hogan, a fisheries biologist at the University of Nevada in Reno.
According to Hogan, giant catfish were once plentiful throughout the Mekong River basin, but in the last century, the population has declined 95 to 99 percent.
Though fishermen do not target the massive fish, it is sometimes caught as a bycatch. In Cambodia, where the largest population of giant catfish is found, eight of the giant fish were caught last year.
"Although fishing is the biggest immediate threat to the giant catfish in the Mekong, dams and habitat fragmentation could disrupt the animal's ability to reproduce," said Hogan.
Hogan indicates that there is only one known spawning ground for Mekong giant catfish, which is in northern Thailand.
"Until we know better, we have to assume that fish from Cambodia may migrate to Thailand to spawn," he said.
"The construction of the Don Sahong dam, which is slated for completion in 2010, would make that migration impossible," Hogan added.
The dam will block Hoo Sahong, the deepest channel and the only one that migratory fish can pass through at the peak of the dry season, in April and May, when the Mekong is at its lowest.
"From a migratory fish's perspective, there is nothing worse than a dam," said Hogan.
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