Biologist Zeb Hogan, who works for a conservation project near the Mekong River, calls the catch exciting news. “Because it means that this part of the Mekong River is still healthy. It’s a sign of hope that these huge fish are still alive here,” he told Reuters news agency.
The Mekong runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and has the third most diverse fish population in the world. However, the river is plagued by overfishing and pollution. A large-scale dam-building program set up in recent years could also seriously disrupt fish spawning grounds, scientists fear.
Little known yet
Before Boramy was released, another tracking device was attached to her. This should provide all kinds of information about the behavior of giant stingrays in Cambodia in the coming year.
According to Hogan, little is known about the fish species. “The name, even the scientific name, has changed several times over the past twenty years. We have almost no information about it.”
–
