How's This For A Tank Buster!?

[Ami]

This is a very, very big catfish!

Courtesy of PFK:

"The Giant pangasius catfish now has protection against fishing in Cambodia.

Pangasius gigas, which is the world's largest freshwater fish species, can reach over 3m/10' in length and was found through much of the Mekong basin.

However, overfishing has reduced populations to just 95-99% of what they were and experts now believe there are only a few hundred left.

Now Cambodian fishermen must hand over any Giant pangasius they catch to the Mekong Fish Conservation Project so they can tag and re-release the endangered fish elsewhere.

Zeb Hogan, who works for the World Wildlife Fund and heads the Mekong Fish Conservation Project, told National Geographic that the Cambodian Department of Fisheries had designated a massive fishing area at Tonle Sap a special research and conservation area, which means any endangered fish caught there should be safe.

Hogan said: "What that means is that the fishermen are obligated to provide endangered species that they catch to us free of charge for tagging and release.

"These fish are on the verge of extinction, and that's a warning to us that there's something wrong with the river system..."

"The largest migratory fish are usually the first to disappear, but they won't be the last."

Tonle Sap is an area of Cambodia in which a massive row of 14 nets are positioned in the river, one every kilometre. One of the nets at the southern part of the series has a cone-shaped collecting part and has caught a number of the Mekong's giant fish species."


See the article on PFK for further info (please note that you need to register with the site now following changes at the end of last year).


Ami

 

[demonmagus]

nice fish

 

[funkybodal]

There's an excellent thread on Pangasius pinned here in the catfish section. Your pic. accurately justifies why we should really think twice before keeping these guys in captivity, particularly where P.gigas is concerned...

 

[prankster705]

Big, where can I get a tank for it? lol.

 

[Genesis]

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...em.php?news=661

"The captors attempted to release the giant catfish, which is an adult male, so it could continue its spawning migration upriver towards the Golden Triangle - the border of Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and China, but unfortunately the fish died. It was later cooked and eaten by the fishermen."

evil

 

[JasonPlus]

However, overfishing has reduced populations to just 95-99% of what they were and experts now believe there are only a few hundred left.

So there are only 95-99% of what was originally there? That doesn't seem like a huge problem to me.

"These fish are on the verge of extinction, and that's a warning to us that there's something wrong with the river system..."

What? I thought you said that there was still 95-95% of the original population? And isn't the rest of the article saying that it's been lowered by overfishing? What does the river system have to do with this?

"The largest migratory fish are usually the first to disappear, but they won't be the last."

I just don't like the way this is worded.

As you can all see I'm being a little cynical about this article, but its just that I'm having a bad day and I don't like it when people don't bother to use proper english/grammer. Sure its alright to an extent on informal things like these message boards, but this is supposed to be a formal news report.

[/rant off]

 

[Durbkat]

Dang thats a huge fish! I bet CFC would want one of those if he could get a tank big enough for it and he could get a few arowanas and motoro sting rays.

 

[Ami]

Dang thats a huge fish! I bet CFC would want one of those if he could get a tank big enough for it and he could get a few arowanas and motoro sting rays.

His main tank is pretty big already! Would have to share with the Arowana, Oscars and stingray though.


I think he'd have to change his mind about that house move for this one!

Ami

 

[Ami]

Sorry Genesis, I'm not sure that they're evil though. I love fish and certainly don't want any species to become endangered, but on the risk of causing moral outrage, they tried to release it and it died so I'm not sure what's so evil about eating it? What were they supposed to do with such a huge carcass?

You can see more info about the catfish here:

National Geographic

Wait till the advert finishes then it restarts with the fish article.

Jason - cheer up and don't be such a pedant!

Prankster - maybe you could get an Amano tank designed for it?

Funkybodal - off to read your article. Thanks.

Ami

 

[PlecMama]

I bet it was happier in the water then it was after they caught it. They should have left him alone and he'd still be around now

 

[Fella]

That fish is in the same family as iridescent sharks, a fish found in aquariums (sadly) all over the world.

 

[Ami]

I bet it was happier in the water then it was after they caught it. They should have left him alone and he'd still be around now

Probably Susie, but the point was simply to show a cool fish! Then it got all moral and political.

So I'm going to tell you all what I think (for now although that might change once I've read more about it) and then shut up about it:

These fish used to be caught be fishermen for food. The fishermen still have massive nets across the mekong. Sometimes the catfish get caught in them. but you can't stop poor villagers who have been fishermen for generations from fishing when this is all they have.

Therefore the fish are now a protected species and the fishermen tag them first before releasing them. There are only a few hundred left in the wild and it is important that biologists can keep track of this population to help preserve them as much as possible.

Please be aware that they're not endangered so much because of overfishing, but also because of changing enviromental issues in their habitat. Maybe he wasn't happier in the water with the pollution? But that's playing devils advocate. He died by accident when people were trying to do something to help his entire species future.

Better to eat him than throw the carcas back to rot.

Ami

PS - Susie, not ranting at you love so please don't take offence.

That fish is in the same family as iridescent sharks, a fish found in aquariums (sadly) all over the world.

One of the many catfish that stores sell because they look cute as babies, but never tell anyone they grow over a metre long and need to be kept in schools with lots of open spaces!

But then, people keep arowanas and some get to over a metre long also. If they're being kept in ideal conditions, by someone who knows what they're doing, then I'm not going to judge. However, I wonder what happens to those that get too big?

Ami

 

[SunFire]

I think it's nice to know that there are people out there that are willing to save a fish like that.

Red-tailed cat fish get big too (that's why technically there not suppose to be in aquariums...unless you're insane). I watch an animal planet special about this guy that looks for endangered species, he was in the amazon, there was a biologist that he knew, the two of them and some local people help catch this huge fish called the Pirarucu , actually two... one male and a female. They get up to 200 pounds.

 

[Fella]

I bet it was happier in the water then it was after they caught it. They should have left him alone and he'd still be around now

Probably Susie, but the point was simply to show a cool fish! Then it got all moral and political.

So I'm going to tell you all what I think (for now although that might change once I've read more about it) and then shut up about it:

These fish used to be caught be fishermen for food. The fishermen still have massive nets across the mekong. Sometimes the catfish get caught in them. but you can't stop poor villagers who have been fishermen for generations from fishing when this is all they have.

Therefore the fish are now a protected species and the fishermen tag them first before releasing them. There are only a few hundred left in the wild and it is important that biologists can keep track of this population to help preserve them as much as possible.

Please be aware that they're not endangered so much because of overfishing, but also because of changing enviromental issues in their habitat. Maybe he wasn't happier in the water with the pollution? But that's playing devils advocate. He died by accident when people were trying to do something to help his entire species future.

Better to eat him than throw the carcas back to rot.

Ami

PS - Susie, not ranting at you love so please don't take offence.

That fish is in the same family as iridescent sharks, a fish found in aquariums (sadly) all over the world.

One of the many catfish that stores sell because they look cute as babies, but never tell anyone they grow over a metre long and need to be kept in schools with lots of open spaces!

But then, people keep arowanas and some get to over a metre long also. If they're being kept in ideal conditions, by someone who knows what they're doing, then I'm not going to judge. However, I wonder what happens to those that get too big?

Ami

There is a thread on the forums right now which has a 535 gallon tank on it, housing the biggest aquarium example I've ever seen. But I'm assuming most of them meet an untimeley death sadly

 

[Ami]

I think it's nice to know that there are people out there that are willing to save a fish like that.

Red-tailed cat fish get big too (that's why technically there not suppose to be in aquariums...unless you're insane). I watch an animal planet special about this guy that looks for endangered species, he was in the amazon, there was a biologist that he knew, the two of them and some local people help catch this huge fish called the Pirarucu , actually two... one male and a female. They get up to 200 pounds.

I think it can get way bigger actually - 500lbs and around 2 metres in length.

It's an important food source in the Amazon tributaries where it lives and also a good source of sandpaper apparently! It's an airbreather and hybernates when the waters are low. I don't think it's endangered (not yet anyways) but I believe that overfishing means that most specimens found are smaller.

Anyways, if you do a google search you can see plenty of pics - alive and being captured.


Ami

There is a thread on the forums right now which has a 535 gallon tank on it, housing the biggest aquarium example I've ever seen. But I'm assuming most of them meet an untimeley death sadly

I'm curious - any idea which thread?