In Cambodia, a remarkable stingray weighing 181kg and reaching 13 feet in length was captured. Fishermen on the Mekong River were taken aback when they spotted a female big fish, one of Southeast Asia’s rarest freshwater species.
Sin Piseth, a river guard from the village of Koh Preah, told the Phnom Pen Post that it was captured by mistake by local angler Korn Sopheap. ‘When he noticed that he had captured the enormous stingray, he screamed out to the people for assistance as the stingray plunged further into the water in the middle of the river but stayed hooked on his line,’ Mr Piseth explained.
When the people realized what a rare find it was, they called the Wonders of the Mekong project, which investigates the river’s biodiversity. Unbelievable photos show the stingray being carried onto a green plastic cover by eight individuals. After that, it was tagged and released into the river. In contrast, the animal weighed the same as a male lion, which weighs around 180kg. The tail of the beast was likewise almost six feet long. ‘The fisherman stated that he wishes to assist in the conservation of gigantic trout, an endangered species in the Mekong River,’ the group stated on its Facebook page.
‘He also promptly called the Mekong Miraculous Project team and requested that it be labeled, measured, and returned to nature.’ The local organization, according to Pheng Boeun, chairman of the Koh Preah fishing community, provides residents incentives to report such uncommon findings. This is also not the first time a big stingray like this one has been accidentally caught by a fisherman. ‘There are numerous such stingrays in the Mekong River in Siem Bok district,’ Mr Boeun remarked. ‘Many of them weighing between 30 and 40kg have been caught and released in the past.’
