Giant fish thought to be extinct is spotted in the Mekong River

With the past confirmed sighting successful 2005, “this taxon of food seems to person disappeared from the Mekong portion for decades,” said Chheana, who is simply a co-author of a survey published online Monday successful the diary Biological Conservation that documents the caller sightings.

Since 2017, biologists tracking migratory food taxon successful Cambodia person developed relationships with section sportfishing communities, asking them to alert immoderate antithetic sightings.

That’s however the 3 elephantine salmon carp recovered successful the Mekong River and a tributary successful Cambodia betwixt 2020 and 2023 came to the attraction of researchers.

“I was truly amazed and excited to spot the existent food for the archetypal time,” said Bunyeth Chan, a survey co-author and researcher astatine Svay Rieng University successful Cambodia.

Researchers accidental the sightings springiness them caller anticipation for the destiny of the species. One nickname for the taxon is “ghost fish.” “This rediscovery is precise exciting, affirmative news,” said Zeb Hogan, a food biologist astatine the University of Nevada, Reno, who was portion of the team.

But the plight of the food besides spotlights the perils facing each migratory taxon successful the Mekong, which faces concern contamination and overfishing.

More than 700 dams are built on the stream and its tributaries and determination are precise fewer functional “fish passages” to assistance taxon navigate obstructions, said Brian Eyler, manager of the Southeast Asia Program astatine the Stimson Center successful Washington, who was not progressive successful the research.

The biologists said they anticipation that moving with section communities successful Thailand and Laos volition alteration them to corroborate if the food inactive swims successful different stretches of the Mekong River.