The Mekong Giant Catfish (National Geographic)

The Mekong giant catfish is an extraordinary species that may go extinct if something is not done to save the species. International efforts are trying their hardest to save the species. It is now illegal in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia to harvest giant catfish. And recently in Thailand, a group of fishers agreed to stop catching giant catfish to honor the king’s 60th year on the throne. However, enforcement of fishing restrictions in many isolated villages along the Mekong is nearly impossible, in those specific areas illegal fishing still continues. Once plentiful throughout the Mekong basin, population numbers have dropped by around 95 percent over the past century, and this critically endangered catfish is at risk of becoming extinct. Over fishing is the primary reason in the giant catfish’s decline, but damming of Mekong tributaries, destruction of spawning and breeding grounds, and siltation have contributed as well. Catfish require large stretches of river for their seasonal journeys and specific environmental conditions in their spawning and breeding areas, dams and human encroachment have severely disrupted their lifecycle. Also pollution and runoff have affected the water quality making it an unhealthy environment for this fish. Some experts think there may only be a few hundred adults left.
After reading this article I feel that something needs to be done to help preserve this species because there are no other fish quite like this. Fist all I think people need to be educated about this fish because this would change people’s opinions and encourage them to try and do something for it. Some interesting facts about the fish are that it’s the world’s largest scale less freshwater fish that live in Southeast Asia’s Mekong River. Is Capable of reaching an almost an amazing  10 feet  in length and 650 pounds , Mekong giant catfish live mainly in the lower half of the Mekong River system, in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Mekong giant catfish have very low-set eyes and are silvery to dark gray on top and whitish to yellow on the bottom. They are toothless herbivores who live off the plants and algae in the river.
Many native tribes and villages that live along the Mekong depend on it as a source of food but too many are being removed from the river. I think that stricter laws and regulations can be set so that only a limited number of catfish can be caught a day. Pollution needs to stop as well by exposing of certain toxics and containments in different areas other than in the river. I also feel that with stricter laws this can be greatly reduced just like over fishing. Unfortunately the dams used greatly benefit the people by giving them a source of water and prevents the river from flooding and destroying there homes.
I defiantly agree that this fish is in critical condition and it needs to be helped but there is only a certain amount we can do to help it. Educating people is the key, with awareness law and regulations can be placed to help control the fishing rate and to stop the dumping of pollutants. Also dams can be placed in certain areas of the river that don’t interfere with spawning and breeding grounds. With conservation and awareness of this species it has a great chance of making a comeback in the future.