Researchers Capture Possibly the Worlds Largest Fresh Water Fish

[misskit]

TV host Jeff Corwin (top right) and vet Nantarika Chansue (left) examine the huge freshwater stingray caught in Thailand’s Mae Klong River.


BANGKOK – Researchers from Chulalongkorn University along with Jeff Corwin from Ocean Mysteries caught a giant car-sized stingray in the Mae Klong River and it may be the largest freshwater fish ever documented.

Nicknamed the Big One”, the sting ray — which weighed around 360 kilograms — was caught and released in the Mae Klong River, about an hour outside Bangkok, National Geographic reports.

One of the researchers, Nantarika Chansue, a veterinarian and professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, said the ray measured 4.3 metres long.
An ultrasound performed on the ray while it was held in a cage in the river, revealing that the animal was pregnant with two foetal rays.

Zeb Hogan, a professor of biology at the University of Nevada, told National Geographic the previous size record for this species was an estimated 314 kilograms.

“Certainly (this) was a huge fish, even compared to other giant freshwater stingrays, and definitely ranks among the largest freshwater fish in the world,” he said.

The catch was filmed for an upcoming episode of the US television show Ocean Mysteries, hosted by Jeff Corwin.

Researchers Capture Possibly the Worlds Largest Freshwater Fish Near Bangkok | Chiang Rai Times English Language Newspaper

[BaitongBoy]

Sturgeon have been referred to as both the Leviathans and Methuselahs of freshwater fish. They are among the largest fish: some beluga (Huso huso) in the Caspian Sea reportedly attain over 5.5 m (18 ft) and 2000 kg (4400 lb) while for kaluga (H. dauricus) in the Amur River, similar lengths and over 1000 kg (2200 lb) weights have been reported.

[Little Chuchok]

The white surgeon is the biggest freshwater fish in North America. It can reach 20 feet long and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. These large fish can live in fresh or salt water and can be found in the Western United States and Canada. White sturgeons have been around since prehistoric times, but there existence on this Earth may soon end. There are only an estimated 500 of them left.

The beluga sturgeon in Russia is the largest freshwater fish in the world. This massive fish can reach over 15 feet long and weigh upwards of 2,500 pounds. The largest recorded beluga sturgeon was almost 20 feet long and over 7,000 pounds. These fish also have a long lifespan, living to 100 years and older.
Beluga sturgeon are euryhaline, meaning they can swim freely between salt and fresh water. Humans consider their eggs a delicacy and have overfished these massive monster-sized fish to get them, leaving the beluga sturgeon endangered with little chance of survival. Beluga sturgeon eggs are the most prized and rare type of caviar, favored for the delicate skin, but due to the endangered status of the fish, beluga sturgeon caviar is illegal in the United States.

We have highlighted the biggest freshwater fish in the world in this list, but there are plenty more for you to discover. Next time you are swimming in a lake, river, stream or pond, take a peak under the water and see what lurks beneath you.

10 Largest, Biggest Fresh Water Fish in the World - Conservation Institute

[nidhogg]

US television show Ocean Mysteries

caught in Thailand’s Mae Klong River.

[BobR]

^^^^ Good that it was caught by responsible researchers who studied and released it, instead of some idiots who would have killed it for a photograph.

[Gazza]

Pah! That's a tiddler compared to what I caught the other day.

And..........the one that got away was even bigger still.