June 15, 2005
PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Four Mekong giant catfish raised mainly in captivity were released back into the wild in Cambodia on Wednesday in a ceremony aimed at raising awareness of the endangered species' plight.
Biologists know little about the population of the catfish, but only five to 10 of them are now caught each year in the kingdom, with their migratory routes along the Mekong River and its tributaries threatened by dams and overfishing.
The species, unique to Asia's mighty Mekong, is the world's largest freshwater fish, reaching a maximum length of three metres (10 feet) and weighing up to 300 kilograms (661 pounds).
Claude Martin, director-general of conservation group WWF, said it was not certain that adding such a small number of fish to the dwindling population would have any positive impact.
"Experts cannot really say for certain that the four fish we are going to release today... will have retained their natural instincts to migrate and reproduce," he told a gathering attending the release at the junction of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers.
"In fact there is obviously a risk that these fish will not properly adapt to the actual situation in the river at all," he said.
"However, given the critical situation and the status of this species in the wild I think we all have to accept that risk by exploring all options that concern the species."
The four fish were caught when they were too small to have their species recognised by a Cambodian government official who is also a fisherman. He raised them for seven years and donated them to the Ministry of Agriculture and WWF for the joint release.
The fish each weigh up to 50 kilograms and are 1.5 metres in length, and were tagged for tracking if again captured.
Nao Thouk, head of Cambodia's fisheries department, told the ceremony that since 2000, 38 catfish have been released back into the Mekong River after being caught by fishermen, with about half believed to have died.
The Mekong is a 4,000-kilometre waterway traversing China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Activists are becoming increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of dams being built along it.
