PHNOM PENH: Two endangered Mekong giant catfish, along with thousands of other endangered fish, have been released back into the wild at the confluence of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers. The populations of this endangered species has dropped by 99% in recent decades, highlighting the alarming condition of biodiversity in these bodies of water.

The release was conducted on Friday morning, 13 January 2023, at the Chaktomuk River, and was overseen by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Environment, Neth Pheaktra, and the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Has Sareth.

Several rare species of fish, including the Mekong giant catfish, giant barb, and striped catfish (a total of 5,002 fish) were released, under a collaboration between the Fisheries Administration and the Wonders of the Mekong.

Secretary of State Neth Pheaktra advised fishermen to release any rare fish they catch back into the river so that it can survive and reproduce.

At the same time, he and Secretary of State Has Sareth also called on members of the public to participate in protecting and conserving natural resources, such as the rare fish that was released into the river, in order to allow them to reproduce in the wild and increase their population in the Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake.

It should be noted that the Mekong giant catfish is on the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is listed in Appendix I of the CITES Appendices, which strictly prohibits its fishing, buying, and sale. The Mekong giant catfish is one of the world's three largest freshwater species, along with giant barb and giant stringray.