The GiantMekong catfish is the most famous Thai fish species along with the Giant Siamese carp. This member of the Shark catfish family reaches enormous proportions. This native Thai fish species is currently recognised by the Guiness book of records as the Largest freshwater fish species on earth. This is the true king of fish and is recognised and well respected for its immense power and dirty fighting characteristics.
Giant Mekong catfish ( plah Beuk ). aka: King of fish.
Description: The Giant Mekong Catfish is the biggest catfish of the very widespread catfish species and also the largest freshwater fish ever recorded. In its native only to the Mekong river that runs through China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. This Giant catfish feeds almost exclusivley on vegetation but in captivity will take other food items such as bread and ground bait mix.
Grey to white in colour and lacking stripes the Giant Mekong Catfish has no scales and is distinguished from other large catfish in its native habitat by its complete lack of teeth. Pangasianodon gigas is also the only catfish to be without barbels in adulthood, ( Juveniles are known to have small barbels aswell as small teeth which gradually disapear as they reach maturity) this is strange as the long whiskers of most catfish are where the name "Catfish" comes from.
It is thought that juvenilles have small teeth and barbels because their diet is not only vegetarian, they have been known to feed on insects, snails or small crabs, this in itself would account for the barbels which are used to locate food on the muddy bed of its habitat and the small teeth needed to crush hard shells and bodies of these small invertebrates.
The King of fish grows rapidly ( the fastest growth rate of any freshwater fish) and can reach a weight of 150 - 200 KG in only six years. As it grows and becomes more mature its Barbels slowly disapear along with the small teeth and it becomes almost completley vegetarian feeding on periphyton, zoobenthos, benthic algae, aquatic weeds and terestrial plants that enter the river in times of flood.
The Giant Mekong catfish which is endemic to the lower half of the Mekong river is now in extreme danger of extinction due to overfishing, water pollution (higher levels of silt and mud are being deposited into the mekong river from large building projects upstream, this silt eventually leads to less oxygen in the water which inturn suffocates plant life which is the nayural food for the Giant Mekong catfish )and blocking of its spawning routes by damming projects in the higher reaches of the Mekong river in China.
Unfortunatley, due to extreme presure from all angles the Giant Mekong catfish is now classed on the ICUN red list for fishes as Critically Endangered.
The number of fish living in the wild is not known, but catch data collected from local fishermen indicate that the population has fallen dramatically, by as much as 80 percent in the last decade.
If you would like more information on these endangered species and how you can help the Mega fishes project click here.
We hope that through promoting awareness of fishing in Thailand that more people will learn about the plight of this King of fish, so please take time to visit these conservation websites. http://www.iucn.org/ http://www.wwf.org.uk/news/n_0000001664.asp
To see some amazing pictures of the Giant Mekong catfish caught in Thailands fishing parks go to the Mega fishing Thailand Catch reports page.
Venues: If you want to fish in Thailand for this species its recommended you try these venues:
The Giant Mekong catfish is the most famous Thai fish species along with the Giant Siamese carp. This member of the Shark catfish family reaches enormous proportions. This native Thai fish species is currently recognised by the Guiness book of records as the Largest freshwater fish species on earth. This is the true king of fish and is recognised and well respected for its immense power and dirty fighting characteristics.
