Giant Mekong catfish. Copyright www.jjphoto.dk

According to Zeb Hogan, head of the National Geographic Society’s Megafishes Project, a new dam project planned for Khone Falls in Laos threatens the migration of the Mekong giant catfish. The largest Mekong giant catfish ever caught weighed in at an astonishing 293 kilograms (646 pounds), but the existence of this magnificent species is unfortunately threatened in the wild and it is currently listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union.

You can find out more by visiting National Geographic at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/photogalleries/catfish-pictures/

The Mekong giant catfish inhabits the Mekong River Delta in South-East Asian and can be found not only in Laos, but also in nearby Cambodia. Earlier, the species lived in Thailand as well but it is now believed to have become completely eradicated from the Thai part of the Mekong River Delta. (It has however been introduced as a sport fish in a number of lakes in Thailand, so the species has not vanished completely from Thai waters.) The situation is critical for the populations in Laos and Cambodia as well and the new dam might worsen an already precarious situation. The primary threats against the Mekong giant catfish are habitat destruction, pollution and over fishing. You can find more information about the Mekong giant catfish here: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/catfish/giantmekong.php