Fishers from dai row four have handed over four endangered Giant Barbs (Catlocarpio siamensis) to the Wonders of the Mekong project (WOM) in order to contribute to the WOM’s efforts in protecting this fish species, one of the rarest on earth.

According to the WOM’s news release yesterday, on Mar. 9, the four Giant Barbs, weighing between 15 and 21 kilogrammes, were moved from the dai fishery to a new home. The fish have been placed in cultivation ponds at the Freshwater Aquaculture Research and Development Centre in Peam Ro commune, Peam Ro district, Prey Veng province.

They will be held there until they can be safely released back into the river during the wet season when fishing activities are closed for the year, it underlined.

Fishers and WOM staff partnered with the Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute of Cambodia and the Fisheries Administration Freshwater Aquaculture Research and Development Centre to transport and ensure the safety of these fish, the source added.

The Giant Barb is a national symbol of Cambodia and the largest carp species in the world. “We applaud the efforts of these fishers to contribute to a sustainable future for Cambodian fisheries,” said the news release.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse