The Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) exists only in the Tonle Sap and Mekong River Basin. The species has been listed as critically endangered since 2003 as overfishing, water quality degradation and habitat fragmentation have resulted in an 80% decline in population in just 13 years. A conservation strategy is being developed for the species but in the meantime planned dam construction on the Mekong is presenting an added threat to the catfish.
Conservation Strategy for Mekong Giant Catfish Will Take Time to Implement
The Mekong River Commission signatories – Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Thailand and Viet Nam – developed an agreement for cooperation on sustainable development of the Mekong River Basin in 1995. In 1996, China and Myanmar entered into the process as Dialogue Partners.
This group, working with the Imperial College of London, Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity organization, the World Wildlife Fund conservation organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia has produced a "Draft Conservation Strategy for the Mekong Giant Catfish".
The proposed conservation strategy addresses the overall program needed to ensure the survival of the catfish. But getting input from outside resources and then implementing the conservation strategy will take time. And, although the Mekong giant catfish is legally protected at some level in Thailand, Viet Nam and Cambodia, it has no special status in Lao PDR.
Cooperation from China and Myanmar will be necessary to ensure the health of the upper reaches of the Mekong River system. Water quality monitoring along the entire Mekong and Tonle Sap watershed will be necessary to prevent pollution incidents from threatening the catfish.
World Wildlife Fund Report Highlights Threats to Mekong Giant Catfish
In the report, "River of Giants: Giant Fish of the Mekong" which was released in July, 2010, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) introduces the catfish and three other giant fish found in the Mekong and Tonle Sap. The report then details the potential damage from the planned construction of a hydroelectric dam in Sayabouly Province, Lao PDR.
The dam would be the first constructed on the lower Mekong River. It would likely prevent the Mekong giant catfish from migrating between Tonle Sap in Cambodia and the Mekong River in Thailand. Although there is still a great deal to be learned about the habitat use and spawning areas for the Mekong giant catfish, the area up to 50 miles north of Chiang Khong, Thailand is assumed to be the site of the primary spawning grounds.
Alternative Site for Hydroelectric Dam May Protect the Mekong River Basin's Fish
The report acknowledges that development in all of the Tonle Sap/Mekong River system countries is necessary but suggests an alternative. Moving the hydroelectric dam to one of the tributaries of the Mekong River would provide the needed power source without compromising the health of the Mekong River system. The future of the Mekong giant catfish and the other rare species of the Mekong River Basin may depend on such a compromise, allowing for development in Lao PDR utilizing other waterways.
Dawn M. Smith - A vet nurse, Dawn has worked in wildlife rehabilitation and conservation around the world in addition to her veterinary hospital ...
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