VietNamNet Bridge – A restaurant in An Giang province on December 15 bought a giant catfish 2 meters long weighing 230 kg caught from a Cambodian fisherman in the downstream Mekong River.

The giant catfish was slaughtered on December 15 at a restaurant in Long Xuyen City.

The restaurant did not disclose the purchase price but the restaurant sold the fish to diners for more than VND1.2 million ($57) per kilo.

In September, a trader in Long Xuyen bought a 200kg giant catfish from a Cambodian fisherman and sold it to a big restaurant in Saigon.

Early this month, a restaurant in Long Xuyen bought a 120kg giant catfish from Cambodia.

With the length up to 3.2 meters and weight up to 300 kilos, Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas Chevy) are among the biggest fresh-water fish species in the world. However, it is facing the highest danger of extinction among fish species in the Mekong River.

Mekong giant catfish live in the lower Mekong River basin (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand). The numbers of this species have dropped in recent years because of over-catching, the construction of hydro-electric dams and pollution. 

Linh Nhat