The fish was over four meters long, local scientists said. The previous record was set by another stingray from Thailand, which but weighed 293 pounds. The fisherman from northeast Cambodia notified the scientists after catching fish. He was paid $600 for the catch.
“Yeah, seeing a fish of this size, especially in freshwater, is hard to fathom, so I think our whole team was stunned,” said Zeb Hogan, one of the scientists.
“The fact that the fish can still grow this big is a hopeful sign for the Mekong,” he said, noting that the river faces many environmental problems. The Mekong, which runs through Indochina, has many large freshwater fish. By tagging the huge fish, scientists hope to learn more about the habitat and behavior of the stingrays in the seas around Southeast Asia.