Finding the giant 'ghost' fish in the Mekong River

A giant fish species thought to be extinct has just been discovered in the Mekong River, through Cambodia.

'The giant salmon is like a symbol of the Mekong region ,' said Chheana Chhut, a researcher at the Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute in Cambodia.

Researcher Chhut Chheana and a newly caught salmon carp in the Mekong River. (Photo: AP).

This predatory fish can grow up to 1.2m long, with a striking yellow patch surrounding its large eyes.

The last time scientists saw this fish was in 2005.

'This fish appears to have been missing from the Mekong basin for decades ,' said Chheana, co-author of the study published in the journal Biological Conservation earlier this week.

Since 2017, biologists have been monitoring fish migrations in Cambodia and working closely with local fishing communities to get information if they spot anything unusual.

Thanks to this method, three salmon carp were found in the Mekong River and a tributary in Cambodia between 2020 and 2023, attracting great attention from researchers. "I was really surprised and excited when I first saw this fish in real life ," said Bunyeth Chan, study co-author and researcher at Svay Rieng University in Cambodia.

Carp is also known as "ghost" fish. (Photo: AP).

This offers new hope for the fate of the species dubbed the "ghost fish" , researchers say .

Zeb Hogan, a fish researcher at the University of Nevada, said the fate of the salmon carp illustrates the dangers facing all migratory species in the Mekong River, where industrial pollution and overfishing are taking place.

Brian Eyler, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, said more than 700 dams have been built along the Mekong and its tributaries, leaving little room for fish to migrate.

Biologists hope that working with local communities in Thailand and Laos will help them confirm whether salmon carp still survive in other parts of the Mekong River.