comm. VideoAvoiding war in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Gavin the paddleboarding seal becomes local celebrity. Humans just 0.01% of all life but have destroyed 83% of wild mammals – study. However, the fish's migration does not begin there. More to come soon. Giant Catfish Giant Catfish Video. Even if a Mekong Giant Catfish is trapped accidentally in a net, it must be released and the authorities notified.

Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society WASHINGTON, DC, July 27, 2010 – Wild populations of the iconic Mekong giant catfish will be driven to extinction if hydropower dams planned for the Mekong River go ahead, says a new report by World Wildlife Fund (WWF). How the NFL forgot its greatest black pioneer, 2019 vs 2020: Images from a Hong Kong gone quiet, C$1m cash seized in 'illegal casino' mansion raid. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Join Wild Chronicles along the Mekong River in Cambodia where National Geographic Emerging Explorer Zeb Hogan races against time to save the critically endangered giant catfish. It is said to be the most vulnerable freshwater species, and according to the Guinness Book of Records, it is the largest freshwater fish in the world. The Mekong is home to more large fishes than any other river. The report, River of Giants: Giant Fish of the Mekong, profiles four giant fish living in the Mekong that rank within the top 10 largest freshwater fish on the planet.

All rights reserved. The US president and Melania Trump were tested after his close aide was confirmed to have Covid-19. National Geographic Headquarters Research has indicated that the species population has fallen by 80% in the last 13 years. Some scientists think we might have entered our sixth mass extinction event driven largely by human activity. A 300-pound giant Mekong catfish illegally caught in Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake is displayed at a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam.

.css-14iz86j-BoldText{font-weight:bold;}The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says that dams on the Mekong River may wipe out several endangered fish species. The anticipated escalation of dangers facing mega‐fish in basins such as the Amazon, Congo and Mekong due to the boom in hydropower dam construction is very worrying, said the researchers. Anecdotal information suggests that the species was once present in the Mekong Delta (Viet Nam), but is now reported as being very rare. Building the Sayabouly dam would reduce sediment flowing downstream to the Mekong River Delta, increasing the vulnerability of this area to the impacts of climate change like sea level rise. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. The rescuers hauled the fish out with a giant net and transported it back home on a motorbike trailer, with the entire rescue taking more than six hours. 7 Largest Swimming Pools in the World.

The scientists assessed 126 species, covering 72 countries, and found numbers had plunged by an average of 88%. “Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest challenges facing our planet, leading to the erosion of ecosystem services [such as food and clean water] and threatening human wellbeing,” the researchers warned.

… Check out our The habitats that freshwater ecosystems provide consist of lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, streams, and springs. Help your students understand the gravity of extinction with these classroom resources. Armenia 'ready' for Nagorno-Karabakh truce talks, US airlines lay off staff as federal relief ends. From there, it is believed to migrate upstream into northeastern Cambodia and possibly Laos, or Thailand to spawn. The skin of the giant catfish is gray to white in color with no stripes, and this fish is distinguished from other large catfish in the Mekong by its lack of teeth and the almost complete absence of barbels. All rights reserved. International trade in it has been banned by CITES since 1975. Bali Myna to benefit from first ASAP emergency grant amid COVID-19 impact, Bali Starling Nusa Penida wild population stabilisation and expansion. National Geographic Kids: Interview with Zeb Hogan, National Geographic Kids: Zeb Hogan's Megafish Pictures, National Geographic Explorers: Zeb Hogan, Ecologist/Photographer. What if we lose hundreds?

When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. Zeb has produced an illustrated children's book about the migration of the giant catfish. As freshwater creatures go, the Mekong giant catfish is definitely among the most charismatic.
Any dam built on the lower Mekong River mainstream will block this migration route. .css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link{color:inherit;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{color:#696969;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:focus,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:focus{color:#B80000;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link::after,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited::after{content:'';position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;z-index:2;}China rejects Mekong dam claims, Trump and Melania test positive for coronavirus. VideoCan you trust US polls? Would you ride in a robot taxi? Privacy Notice |  Researchers base their estimates on the number of fish caught every year. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. 7 Largest Lobsters Ever Captured. It’s a race now to see what can be understood and protected before it’s too late.”. Adults can reach over 9.8 … Why is the Giant Catfish significant to the Mekong River? VideoThe voice of Johnson and Trump on Spitting Image, Africa's top shots: Hula-hooping at 60 and other feats, Avoiding war in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

© 1996 - 2020 National Geographic Society. Large animals usually need large ranges and dams block migration routes and access to feeding grounds. Across Europe, North Africa and Asia, populations have plunged by 97% since 1970. to harvest aquatic life to the point where species become rare in the area. Adults can reach over 9.8 feet in length and can weigh over 650 lb. The Thailand giant catfish was once abundant in the 1900s, but in the 1970s local fisheries began to report the disappearance of the species. Fishing has been banned in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia but the ban has helped little. The critically endangered Mekong giant catfish ranks third at almost 10 feet in length and 771 pounds. Categories Animals Post navigation. The hydropower dam planned on the Mekong River at Sayabouly Province, northern Laos, is a threat to the survival of the wild population of Mekong giant catfish. Check out this video on how National Geographic Giant Maps are created. Can you trust US polls? Video. No recent data are available from this area, but it is still likely that less than 10 Giant Catfish are caught here each year (Z. Hogan pers. Join Wild Chronicles along the Mekong River in Cambodia where National Geographic Emerging Explorer Zeb Hogan races against time to save the critically endangered giant catfish. Current scientific information suggests the Mekong giant catfish migrate from the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia up the Mekong River to spawn in northern Thailand and Laos. Search for an endangered species profile.

At the time, a member of Cambodia's Mekong River Committee told a local newspaper that he was scared by the findings but the country needed the dams to provide electricity. The bottom is a yellow or a white cream color. Read about our approach to external linking. The fish face habitat destruction and poor river conditions as water is … Overfishing and habitat destruction threaten the survival of this wild species. You cannot download interactives. “Many of them are at risk of extinction, and almost all of them need our help. A Cambodian fisherman holds a giant stingray. The Mekong giant catfish is an impr­essive sight, but one that is rapidly vanishing from the wild. The color of the Mekong Giant Catfish is a light gray with silver at the top. Two-thirds of the world’s great rivers no longer run freely, annihilation of wildlife was eroding the foundations of economies. Would you like to receive a notice and link when the An exact number of fish in the wild is not available, but there has been … 1145 17th Street NW If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. But overfishing and dam building threaten to render this Mekong icon extinct.
.css-8h1dth-Link{font-family:ReithSans,Helvetica,Arial,freesans,sans-serif;font-weight:700;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#FFFFFF;}.css-8h1dth-Link:hover,.css-8h1dth-Link:focus{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Read about our approach to external linking. US election 2020 polls: Who is ahead - Trump or Biden? new Creature Feature is posted? But he said populations have dropped to almost zero as the rapidly increasing human population has escalated the pressure on them. Nina Page, National Geographic Society.