VietNamNet Bridge - A pair of giant barb (Catlocarpio siamensis) with a total weight of 252 kg was transported from Laos to HCM City on May 5.

The pair of giant barbs from Laos.

The big fish was 130 kg and the smaller was 122 kg.

The restaurant owners said they bought the fish from Lao fishermen but refused to disclose the price.

It is said that the price for one kilo of giant barb at restaurants is up to VND4 million (nearly $200).

In Vietnam, occasionally fishermen catch big giant barbs in branches of the Mekong River.

On October 16 last year, a fisherman who lived in District 9, Ho Chi Minh City caught a giant barb of 128kg. On December 6, a fisherman in Vinh Long Province netted a barb weighing 130kg in the Co Chien River, a branch of the Mekong River. And on December 1 a fisherman in Dong Thap Province caught a giant weighing 110kg in the Hau River.

The giant barb is the largest species of cyprinid in the world. These migratory fish are found only in the Mae Klong, Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins in South East Asia. It has declined drastically due to habitat loss and overfishing, and is now considered critically endangered.

The giant barbs are priced up to thousands of USD, so fishermen usually sell it to restaurants or traders, and do not release them back to the river.

Le Ha