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.
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.
A fisher at Khone Falls in Laos holds a large Bagarius catfish.His basket trap, known as a Lop in the Lao language, is also used to catch fish such as the pa se ee, a carp native to the area.
Scientists say the Khone Falls area supports at least 201 fish species, including many endemic or endangered species. It also supports one of the few remaining concentrations of freshwater dolphins still living in the Mekong.
A child poses with the head of a Mekong giant catfish caught at Khone Falls in Laos in August last year.The giant catfish was once plentiful throughout the Mekong River system, but in the last century the population has declined 95 to 99 percent, according to Hogan of the Megafishes Project.
Last year only one giant catfish was caught at Khone Falls.
"Everyone heard about the catch, and hundreds of people showed up to look at it," said photographer Suthep Kritsanavarin.
