Show ' C6— The Herald Journal Logan Utah Friday December 19 2003 ''V1-- anb ' nni PHIOM PGNHCambodia beseeching it ta allow them to species second only to the ' catch it Amazon in terms of the Modi-- : (AP) — Zeb Hogan plunges Fish sue ah important source versity of its inland water- into the muddy brown waters : of food and income for the of the Tonic Sap River and ways more than 60 millioh people If it goes extincL ‘'there's ' "grabs hold of a 321 -- pound sil- v very giant catfish that has just - Wholive in the Mekong River nnwhing probably going on basin Studies show that the ' - jn the environment that’s not slid out of a blue tarp held by several Cambodian fisherman annual fishery yield is as ' ' aithy fnr fuji" Hnpan - much as 193 million tons “I take him by his mouth wvim’ whose work worth about $145 billion y because I can hold onto him blit it doesn't hurt him” said according to the Mekong be other 3 - likelihoodthenl Hogpn a researcher tracking Kyir Commission spccics ' Men women children the species one of the world's of species : can be spotted finning in Cam- - that : largest and found only around - here Its depenjqn Vyiuil sign or good! “He’s breathing he’s fighting Ving nets or scooping the water ' with oversized butterfly- " He's trying to get away ' rcane isolated due to wars ' now he's shaking me and bit- -' shaped sieves Four boats ' where wealthier mailt thearea iy :yy ing my finger” built along it in China fishermen use the long nets The Mekong giant catfish rentiy and Work on the upper — whose Cambodian name that end up trapping the giant : is catfish Mekong River to clear naviga- means “the king of fish” y channels for large boats Some researchers believe t°n a rare find in these waters a ' ' ' the catfish and Its that the' fate this of threatening River tributary legendary Mekong ‘ ' other species said Chainaraig : fish is asignofthings to come sharp fall in numbers — only Sretthachau director of the for other cfenizens of the eight were reported caught SoutheastAsia Rivers Net-last ycar'down from about 80 J 3032-mil- e River Mekong workwhich is home to about 1245 a decade’ agbr led to its y " "" ' recent listing as critically ' : Has and endangered researchers concerned about y the liealth of the mighty 'V'V- Mekong:i' VHere we have'a species ’ that rons a risk of being the first species in the Mekong River to go extinct'’ said “ V V n v- :y V'-’- : V yhh'-'-- V - - pattemfhS ' - y s m rwJZwH fTwt ' ““ 1-“- !" i - - APphoto Zeb Hogan left tags a 400 -pound giant catfish that was caught on the Tonle Sap River y' y ’ y Uni versity of California at Davis y Hogan has spent three years - "in Camixidia trucking the : alert eatiishr Fishermen giant hini w hen one glides into their more than " trawling the river bottom and tlogan goes out to weigh ' 'measure lag collect a tissue : y sample and iejease the animal y IJis goal is io see how many of tliese catfish are were-oncfound iaLaos:"- Cambodia Thailand Vietnam’ and perhaps Myannuir' arid v ' siniihwest China But Kxlay fishing dam buildingand nav-- ’ i igistion projects seem to have y reduced their home waters to y! the niighty Mekong-whicfibws thniugh lhe heart of ' Southeast Asia: and its tribu-''- '' 'taries in Cambiidia LaiiiS arid Thailand: 'v When tbd eatfish was listed as endangered on the World ' Conservation Union s Red ' :‘yList of Threatened Species in 1996" hot much was knowif ’about itsrate pf decline said ' Caniliiie PoJkK!k a research " Screntisl for thetlland’ Swilcrland-iase- d organiza- fioj aisti known as lOCN yy'' ' y - — 1 x -- — '' — — —'—£a — left-The- ' y ' - y - - - ' These unique pkbtogfap 4: " that pnimpted the critically ' endangered classification in the groups latest lislreleased ' - Nov 18 Piillock said'1 ' The giant catfish isn't the ’ average bottom feeder: It pounds and grows iip'fo nearly It) fee'finlength— shariiigihetitie iitlargest'-- ' : lres!iwuter fish yilha close : relative the ' fish according to the Gum- ' ness HHk of World Records Its only bther rival ip size is found in the'Amazon River wThe largest catfish in feel Hprope used Ip grow-1long but not anymore ’and y'-- y ' :v - yy'- y c: I iil much l:inir ihnn fr : y v’y:'V''--y' ‘ ' j - Cl n A ll JVI AIL K t y 'yyy INCWDEDfeW ' yyy UUu linmiioii iu Sf!' y 1 ft legend has it that four dm-- ’ turicsagp the king used to sacrifice a nianiind woman o y’'- ' ilnri y a ' : ? v I w Z ' i ADDRESSi yyyy ing old - protem'April togiantthe catspirit that : tire shipping included I : 'f- -- : u'-- ' ! |