Mekong giant catfish
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| Mekong giant catfish | ||||||||||||||
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| Pangasianodon gigas Chevey, 1931 |
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Pangasius paucidens |
The Mekong giant catfish, Pangasianodon gigas, is a species of catfish (order Siluriformes) in the shark catfish family (family Pangasiidae), native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia.
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[edit] Taxonomy
Some sources consider P. gigas to be a member of genus Pangasius, while others classify it in Pangasianodon.[1][2] This is due to the variable recognition of the level of Pangasianodon, which is sometimes recognized as a subgenus of Pangasius and sometimes as its own genus.[2][3]
[edit] Conservation
Endemic to the lower half of the Mekong river, this catfish is in danger of extinction due to overfishing, as well as the decrease in water quality due to development and upstream damming. The current IUCN Red List for fishes classes the species as Critically Endangered; while the number of individuals living in the wild is not known, catch data indicate that the population has fallen by 80 percent in the last 13 years.[4][5] It is also listed in Appendix I of CITES, banning international trade.[6]
In The Anthropologists' Cookbook (1977) Jessica Kuper noted the importance of the pa beuk to the Lao people and remarked, "In times gone by, this huge fish, which is found only in the Mekong, was fairly plentiful; but in the last few years the number taken annually has dwindled to forty, thirty or twenty, and perhaps in 1976 even fewer. This is sad, as it is a noble fish and a mysterious one, revered by the Lao." (p167)
Fishing for the Mekong giant catfish is illegal in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, but the bans appear to be ineffective, with the fish continuing to be caught in all three countries.[4] However, in recognition of the threat to the species, nearly 60 Thai fishermen agreed to stop catching the endangered catfish in June 2006, to mark the 60th anniversary of Bhumibol Adulyadej's accession to the throne of Thailand.[7]
[edit] Size
Attaining an unconfirmed length of 3 m, the Mekong giant catfish grows extremely quickly, reaching a mass of 150 to 200 kg in only six years.[8] The largest catch recorded in Thailand since record-keeping began in 1981 was a female measuring 2.7 m (roughly 9 feet) in length and weighing 293 kg (646 lb). This specimen, caught in 2005, is widely recognized as the largest freshwater fish ever caught (although sturgeon can far exceed this size, they can be anadromous). Thai Fisheries officials stripped the fish of its eggs as part of a breeding programme, intending then to release it, but the fish died in captivity and was sold as food to local villagers.[9][10][11]
Grey to white in colour and lacking stripes, the Mekong giant catfish is distinguished by the near-total lack of barbels and the absence of teeth.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Pangasius gigas (TSN 681698). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 31 Mar 2007.
- ^ a b Ferraris, Carl J., Jr. (2007). "Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types" (PDF). Zootaxa 1418: 1–628.
- ^ Gustiano, R.; Teugels, G. G.; Pouyaud, L. (2003). "Revision of the Pangasius kunyit catfish complex, with description of two new species from South-East Asia (Siluriformes; Pangasiidae)". Journal of Natural History 37: 357–376. doi:.
- ^ a b Hogan (2003). Pangasianodon gigas. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 9 May 2006.
- ^ "Giant Catfish Critically Endangered, Group Says", National Geographic News, 2003-11-18. Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
- ^ CITES Appendices I, II and III. CITES (2006-06-14). Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
- ^ "Giant Mekong catfish off the hook", BBC News, 2006-06-10. Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
- ^ a b "Pangasianodon gigas". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- ^ "Grizzly Bear-Size Catfish Caught in Thailand", National Geographic News, 2005-06-29. Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
- ^ "Fish whopper: 646 pounds a freshwater record", 2005-07-01. Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
- ^ Mydans, Seth. "Hunt for the big fish becomes a race", International Herald Tribune, 2005-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
