Cambodian catches world's largest freshwater fish

The world's largest ever freshwater fish has been caught in Cambodia's Mekong River. The giant stingray, captured on 13 June, measured almost four metres and weighed just under 300 kilograms.

The stingray was snagged by a local fisher south of Stung Treng in north-east Cambodia. The fisher alerted a team of scientists from the Wonders of the Mekong project, which has publicized its conservation work in communities along the river.

Zeb Hogan, Leader of "Wonders of the Mekong" said "The fact that the fish can still get this big is a hopeful sign for the Mekong River which recently, you know, the Mekong River is facing a lot of challenges so the fact that the fish are still getting this big was a good sign."

The team inserted a tagging device near its tail. It will send back tracking information for the next year, providing unprecedented data on giant stingray behavior in Cambodia. The previous world record was a 293 kilos Mekong giant catfish, recorded in Thailand in 2005.