Mekong giant catfish under threat from new Xayaburi dam

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By damming the mainstream of the lower Mekong River in Bangkok, Thailand, there is a significant new threat to the survival of the Mekong giant catfish, according to a new study commissioned by WWF.

Being one of the world's largest and rarest freshwater fish, the numbers of catfish are already in steep decline due to habitat destruction, overfishing, and dams along the Mekong's tributaries.

The exact population size of the Mekong giant catfish is unknown, but it is thought that there could be as little as a couple of hundred adult fish left.

The new study shows the status of this elusive species, including data on its numbers, distribution, threats, and measures needed to prevent losing this fish.

Revealing that the Xayaburi dam on the Mekong mainstream in northern Laos would prove an impassable barrier for the giant cat fish, the study proves that the dam risks sending the species into extinction.

The catfish are capable of reaching up to three metres in length and weighing as much as 300kg.

Dr Zeb Hogan, the study's author and associate research professor at the University of Nevada says: "Fish the size of a Mekong giant catfish simply will not be able to swim across a large barrier like a dam to reach its spawning grounds upstream.

"These river titans need large, uninterrupted stretches of water to migrate, and specific water quality and flow conditions to move through their lifecycles of spawning, eating and breeding."

During the Mekong River commission meeting in 2011, environment and water ministers had agreed to delay a decision on building the Xayaburi dam, pending further studies on environmental impacts. Last November, this agreement was swept aside when Laos decided to forge ahead with construction.

There have been growing concerns centred on the serious gaps in data and failures to fully account for the impacts of this US$3.5-billion project, particularly concerning sediment flow and fisheries.

Pöyry, the Finnish firm advising Laos on the dam construction, argues that 'fish passages' can be built. It claims that this will enable fish to get past the dam's turbines and down the river, but this claim has never been put into practise.

Dr Eric Baran with the World Fish Centre says: "You can't expect fish ladders to work without understanding your target species, their swimming capabilities, and the water current that will attract these fish toward the pass entrance.

"Research is still needed to ensure mitigation efforts will work."

Once being widely distributed through the Mekong river basin, the giant catfish were relatively abundant up until the early 1900s. Since then, the numbers have plummeted. The species is now limited to the Mekong and its tributaries in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. According to catch figures the numbers have dropped from thousands of fish in the late 1800's to dozens in the 1900's, and only a few in recent times.

Laws have been put into place in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia to regulate fishing for Mekong giant catfish, with a ban on fishing the species in Thailand and Cambodia. However the species is still fished illegally and caught accidentally in fisheries targeting other species.

Dr Lifend Li, Director of WWF's Global Freshwater Programme says: "The Mekong giant catfish symbolises the ecological integrity of the Mekong River because the species is so vulnerable to fishing pressure and changes in the river environment. Its status is an indicator of the health of the entire river, and its recovery is an important part of the sustainable management of the Mekong basin.

"The Mekong giant catfish can be saved, but it will take a level of commitment from all lower Mekong countries, as well as international organizations and donors, that currently does not exist."

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Published: Amy Munday Monday 24 June 2013, 3:38 pm
Views: 777 times
Filed under: catfish giant Mekong river dam Thailand Xayaburi Bangkok threat extinct WWF

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<b>Bass</b> fisherman nets giant muskie in East Bay

TRAVERSE CITY — This is no fish story: A downstate angler casting for smallmouth bass hooked and landed a 52-pound muskellunge on the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay.

Jim Vozar, of Coldwater, fell just short of a state record when he hooked the monster muskie while fishing with his wife and Up North Smallmouth Charters Capt. Tony DeFilippo on June 21.

Vozar, 77, was casting with eight-pound test line and plastic tube baits when he thought his hook snagged on something.

“The gentleman thought he had a log at first, the Old Field & Stream story," DeFilippo said. "Then it started to move.”

The anglers chased the muskie for 20 minutes using the trolling motor on DeFilippo's boat, and were careful to keep the line from snapping.

No one realized what they were about to catch.

"At first I thought it was a northern pike, but when we got it up there we realized it was a whole lot bigger," Vozar said.

The muskie was so big it snapped DeFilippo's net in two when he tried to pull it from the water.

"It's a miracle we got that fish in the boat," Vozar said.

DeFilippo called fellow charter captain Chris Noffsinger, whose boat contains a large livewell. The men wrestled the muskie into Noffsinger's boat and called Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials.

A DNR officer weighed the muskie at 52-pounds, six pounds shy of the statewide record for Great Lakes muskie, a fish landed last year in Antrim County's Lake Bellaire. That fish also was caught on eight-pound test line.

DeFilippo said Vozar's muskie was wider than a dollar bill for almost the entire length of its body. He estimated the fish at about 50 inches, or just more than four feet in length.

The men released the muskie alive back into the bay. Vozar said he was happy just to measure the fish and snap a few pictures before he let it go.

"I'd feel really bad if it died," Vozar said. "It was a beautiful fish."

Vozar marveled at both local whopper catches.

"Muskie fisherman fish a whole lifetime and don't catch one that big," he said.

Vozar credited DeFilippo with making sure he landed the near-record.

"Without him, it wouldn't have happened," Vozar said.

Muskellunge naturally inhabit Michigan waters, according to the DNR. They can reach lengths of 30 inches or more in the first three to four years of their lives. Females tend to grow larger and faster than males, and the fish can live for 30 or more years.

With a mouth full of sharp teeth muskie are perceived as an aggressive predatory species. Many anglers rate muskie as the premier challenge of freshwater fishing, the DNR states.

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Adam Guy’s Mekong Giant Catfish Gallery

Our good friend Adam Guy sent us some fantastic shots of his recent trip to Thailand and the Bungsamran fishing park where he spent two days fishing for the famous Mekong Giant Catfish. Check out the gallery below!

Continue to Adam Guy’s Mekong Giant Catfish gallery.

March 15, 2012 by Jonathon Marshall

Filed Under: Catfish, Culture, Fishing, Freshwater Species, Incredible, Reports, Thailand
Tagged: Adam Guy, fishing vacation, Mekong Giant Catfish, vacation thailand

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