VietNamNet Bridge – A fisherman in Dong Thap Province in the Mekong Delta caught a giant catfish weighing 63 kilograms in the Tien River on June 15.

A fisherman in Quoc Thai Commune in the southern province of An Giang caught a giant catfish in the Hau River. (Photo: SGGP)

On the night of June 15, Nguyen Minh Chien, a native of Cao Lanh City in Dong Thap Province caught a giant catfish, Pangasianodon Gigas, at the mouth of the Voi Me Rivulet of the Tien River.

The catfish was more than 1.4 meters in length and weighed 63 kilograms.

This particular fish species is under threat of extinction due to overfishing, as well as excessive water pollution. The current IUCN Red List on fish species classifies this species on the critically endangered list.

Chien said this is the biggest catfish that he has ever caught. Later he sold it in the market for VND160,000 a kilogram.

Fishermen in the Tien River area said that this catfish was usually seen before 1975, but recently it has never been sighted.

In July 2012, fishermen in Quoc Thai Commune in the southern province of An Giang caught a 72 kilogram giant catfish in the Hau River, a tributary of the Mekong River in Vietnam.

Source: SGGP