Ed Browne - 16h ago
An extremely rare species of carp nicknamed the "Mekong Ghost" that had not been seen for nearly two decades has been unexpectedly documented in Cambodia.
A photo of the extremely rare giant salmon carp, or 'Mekong Ghost', found in Cambodia in the Mekong River this year. It is the first confirmed member of the species to be found in the river in 18 years.© Wonders of the Mekong/University of Nevada, Reno/Facebook
The giant salmon carp is one of the world's most threatened fish. Found only in Asia's Mekong River, the carp is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
No adult giant salmon carp—believed to grow as large as 66 pounds—had been officially recorded since 2004, but a 13-pound, three-foot long specimen was reported from a wet market along the Mekong this year after a fish merchant realized it was out of the ordinary and contacted Chan Sokheng, a biologist with the Cambodian Fisheries Administration.
Although the fish was dead, it has given rise to hope that the species still exists in the 2,700-mile river. If the fish were confirmed extinct, it would have been the first confirmed extinction of a giant fish species in the Mekong.
The Mekong is home to nearly 1,000 different species of fish, including some of the largest freshwater fish in the world. It sustains the livelihoods of millions of people.
However, the river has come under pressure due to dams, overfishing and climate change.
Zeb Hogan is a fish biologist at the University of Nevada, Reno who has studied Mekong fish for decades and leads the USAID-funded Wonders of the Mekong research project which aims to highlight the importance of the river.
In a university press release, he said: "The discovery of yet another amazing, but highly endangered animal, in an area that supports the livelihoods and food security of millions of people, shows plain as day the urgent need for conservation programs and the potential benefits of government, scientists and local communities coming together to safeguard the wonders of the Mekong."
Sokheng, also quoted in the press release, said he was "so happy" to confirm the existence of the rare fish and said there was "still hope" to conserve it.
According to the university, the Mekong Ghost name refers to the fish's rarity. Its scientific name is Aaptosyax grypus.
It is not the only Mekong species that is rarely seen anymore. The Mekong giant catfish, one of the largest species in the river, is also seldom spotted. Freshwater megafauna—animals that can grow to over 200 lbs—have declined by 97 percent in Asia since 1970, the University of Nevada, Reno said.
Yet there has been good news aside from the rediscovery of the giant salmon carp. In June, a roughly 661-pound giant freshwater stingray, confirmed as the world's largest freshwater fish, was tagged and released in the Mekong.
The next step regarding the giant salmon carp will be to use its DNA to develop tools that can be used to study the distribution of the species.
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