Massive stingray weighing 300kg and 13ft long is the BIGGEST freshwater fish in the world – World News

The giant stingray, which was caught in the Mekong in Cambodia, had to be hauled ashore by around a dozen men and was christened Boramy, which means “full moon” in Khmer

The world’s largest freshwater fish ever caught – a stingray weighing an impressive 300kg – was caught by Cambodian villagers in the Mekong.

The 13-foot-long animal, christened Boramy, which means “full moon” in the Kmer language in reference to its paunchy shape, took about a dozen men to haul it ashore.

She was released back into the river after being electronically tagged so scientists – who have confirmed her as a record breaker – could monitor her movement and behavior.

“This is very exciting news because it was the largest fish in the world,” said biologist Zeb Hogan, former host of the National Geographic Channel show “Monster Fish” and now part of a conservation project on the river.

“It’s also exciting news because it means this stretch of the Mekong is still healthy… It’s a sign of hope that these giant fish are still alive.” [here].”

Boramy, caught last week off Koh Preah, an island in the northern Cambodian stretch of the river, took the record from a 293kg giant catfish caught upstream in northern Thailand in 2005.

The Mekong has the third-largest fish population in the world, according to its River Commission, although overfishing, pollution, saltwater intrusion and sediment degradation have led to declining stocks.

In other news, as reported in the Mirror last week, a man fishing off the Jersey coast was shocked to discover he had caught a giant common octopus “with suckers the size of 50p pieces”. .

Fishing enthusiast Chris Rushton reeled in the creature, which weighed a whopping 18 pounds, while enjoying a fishing spot off the southwest Jersey shore.

The Wiltshire resident, who was visiting the island on a work trip and having a day off, was on board the charter vessel Anna III when the catch was made on Tuesday, the Jersey Evening Post reported.

After snapping a few photos of the impressive animal, Chris safely returned the octopus to the sea.

Chris, who is also a competitive fisherman, told the Jersey Evening Post: “I had a day off and decided to go fishing, which I do a lot at home. It came out of the water, everyone was like ‘wow’.

“Including the legs, it was a few good meters. We weighed him, took a quick photo and got him safely back in the water where he dived again.”

Anna III’s skipper Tony Heart said the octopus’s suction cups were the size of 50p pieces.

He added that the crew were all very surprised by the size of the animal and that in 30 years of charter fishing the team had only seen one other octopus that weighed about a pound.