What kind of fish are in the Mekong River?

Among the species of the Mekong are some of the world’s most charismatic fish including four to the world’s largest:

• Giant freshwater stingray Himantura chaophraya (up to 600kg)
• Mekong giant catfish Pangasianodon gigas (up to 350kg)
• Giant pangasius Catlocarpio siamensis (up to 300kg)

Why are fish from the Mekong River located in Asia so important?

“Migrating fish are an extremely important component of the ecosystem services that the Mekong River and its tributaries provide each year,” he added. “The fishery alone in the Mekong River basin has an estimated value of over 10 billion dollars.”

Which fish migrate from river to sea?

Anadromous fish migrate from the sea up (Greek: ἀνά aná, “up” and δρόμος drómos, “course”) into fresh water to spawn, such as salmon, striped bass, and the sea lamprey. Catadromous fish migrate from fresh water down (Greek: κατά kata, “down” and δρόμος dromos, “course”) into the sea to spawn, such as eels.

Which fish is famous for migration?

Catadromous fish spend most of their lives in fresh water, then migrate to the sea to breed. This type is exemplified by eels of the genus Anguilla, numbering 16 species, the best-known of which are the North American eel (A. rostrata) and the European eel (A.

Are there sharks in the Mekong River?

Despite its name, it is not a shark. It is found in the Mekong basin as well as the Chao Phraya River, and is heavily cultivated for food there.

What is the Mekong River famous for?

In total, more than 60 million people depend on the Mekong for most facets of their daily lives. The river supports one of the most diverse fisheries in the world and is known for hosting various species of large fish; the biggest include the giant river carp, freshwater stingray, Siamese giant carp, and giant catfish.

What is wrong with the Mekong River?

A large part of the problem has long been China, which operates 11 dams on the Mekong. During times of extreme drought, like now, China’s portion of the river contributes up to half of the river’s flow, with the dams holding back more than 12 trillion gallons of water, severely disrupting the water flow downstream.

Which is the most poisonous fish in the world?

The most venomous known fish is the reef stonefish. It is an ambush predator which waits camouflaged on the bottom. The beautiful and highly visible lionfish uses venomous barbs around its body as a defence against predators.

Which fish has the longest migration route?

The gilded catfish of Amazonia makes the longest migrations of any fish species that remains within fresh waters.

Which fish makes the longest migration?

Is it safe to swim in the Mekong River?

Despite concerns about competiting in the Mekong’s murky waters, organizers were keen to point out that while there is always a slight risk associated with swimming in rivers, the cloudy waters of the Mekong are a result of fine sediment floating in the water, rather than high levels of pollution.

How are fish in the Mekong River being threatened?

Both fish production and species richness are now threatened by imminent construction of hydropower plants on tributaries as well as on the Mekong River itself ( 3, 9 ⇓⇓⇓ – 13 ).

How does the Se Kong River affect fish?

Beyond that, the construction of dams on the Se Kong River causes 1.3% productivity loss (∼8,200 tons/y) per TWh/y up to 88% hydropower production, and the LSS2 dam amounts to 4% of fish loss (∼25,300 tons/y) per TWh/y produced. The number of endangered species exhibits a similar trade-off with hydropower production ( Fig. 2 B ).

Where does the Tonle Sap fish migrate to?

The migration is closely connected to the seasonal flows of the river system. For most of the year, the Tonle Sap runs south for about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the lake down to Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, where it joins the larger Mekong River.

Where does the Tonle Sap meet the Mekong River?

For most of the year, the Tonle Sap runs south for about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the lake down to Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, where it joins the larger Mekong River. During the summer monsoon rains, however, the Mekong River dramatically rises, with its floodwaters pushing up the Tonle Sap.