Giant Stingray Catch Puts Spotlight on Mekong Biodiversity

Local fishermen stand with a rescued 180-kilogram and 4-meter long giant freshwater stingray hooked by a fisherman's net at the Mekong River, in Stung Treng province, Cambodia, on May 5, 2022. University of Nevada/Handout via Reuters

A team of marine biologists have welcomed the discovery of an endangered giant freshwater stingray during a recent expedition to a remote stretch of the Mekong River in Cambodia, though they warned the biodiversity of the area was under threat.

The stingray was accidentally caught by fishermen in an 80-metre (260 ft) deep pool in the Mekong in Cambodia’s northeastern Stung Treng province and the visiting scientists helped return the animal alive.