Dog-eating catfish, other river giants threatened by Mekong dam plan

Wild populations of the iconic Mekong giant catfish will be driven to extinction if hydropower dams planned for the Mekong River go ahead, says a report released by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today.

The report, River of Giants: Giant Fish of the Mekong, profiles four giant fish living in the Mekong that rank within the top 10 largest freshwater fish on the planet. “At half the length of a bus and weighing up to 1,322 pounds, the Mekong River’s giant freshwater stingray is the world’s largest freshwater fish. The critically endangered Mekong giant catfish ranks third at almost 10 feet in length and 771 pounds,” WWF says in a news release accompanying the report.

The hydropower dam planned on the Mekong River at Sayabouly Province, northern Laos, is a threat to the survival of the wild population of Mekong giant catfish. The Sayabouly dam is the first lower Mekong River mainstream dam to enter a critical stage of assessment before construction is approved by the Mekong River Commission, which includes representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, WWF explained.

National Geographic