Mekong giant catfish [SEP] IUCN conservation status
Mekong giant catfish
The Mekong giant catfish ("Pangasianodon gigas"; , , ; /"trəy riec"/; ), is a large, critically endangered species of catfish (order Siluriformes) in the shark catfish family (Pangasiidae), native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia and adjacent China. It is considered Critically Endangered due to accelerating habitat loss.
Description.
Grey to white in colour and lacking stripes, the Mekong giant catfish is distinguished from other large catfish species in the river by the near-total lack
giant catfish are toothless herbivores who lives off of the plants and algae in the river. The fish have been studied (inside the stomach linings) to feed on zooplankton and phytoplankton.
Conservation.
Endemic to the lower half of the Mekong River, this catfish is in danger of extinction due to overfishing, as well as the decrease in water quality due to development and upstream damming. A 2018 study suggests that the Mekong stocks could fall up to 40% as the result of dam projects. The current IUCN Red