Join aquatic ecologist Zeb Hogan continues his quest to find and protect the worlds largest freshwater fish in the frigid rivers of Mongolia. He will travel by plane, truck, and horseback to find the world’s largest trout known as the taimen (Hucho taimen). This is not your everyday dinner trout. This monster can grow up to 6 feet in length and weighs up to 200 pounds. Once king of the river, the taimen is starting to disappear. And as winter approaches and temperatures drop, Zeb will be up against a tight deadline. Join him and a team of scientists, anglers, and local Mongolians as they search for the worlds largest trout: the Taimen.
Monster Fish of Mongolia airs Monday at 10pm on the National Geographic Channel
July 12th, 2009 · 3 Comments
→ 3 CommentsTags: giant Eurasian trout · recreational fishing · research · taimen
The Megafishes Project Needs Your Support!
May 24th, 2009 · 1 Comment
The economic downturn has hit the Megafishes Project hard. Both our major donors have cut back on support for the project. This means that much of our ongoing research on the Mekong giant catfish, the giant freshwater stingray, the golden mahseer of Bhutan, and the giant Eurasian trout has been delayed. Please consider making a donation to help support this important work! All donations are tax deductible. Thank you!
→ 1 CommentTags: Mekong giant catfish · National Geographic · News · research · science
Dr. Zeb Hogan and the Megafishes Project Partner With the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species
May 3rd, 2009 · 2 Comments
Dr. Zeb Hogan and the Megafishes Project have partnered with the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species to produce a review of migratory freshwater fish. The report will include an assessment of the conservation status of migratory fish including possible options for international cooperation under the Convention on Migratory Species.
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) is an intergovernmental treaty, which aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian species over the whole of their migratory range. To achieve this objective the Convention provides a framework for enhancing the conservation status of migratory species through the cooperative efforts of the range states of those species. There are currently 107 Contracting Parties to the Convention.
For more information about CMS, please see:
→ 2 CommentsTags: research · science
Giant Freshwater Stingray Research Initiated in Thailand
May 3rd, 2009 · No Comments
The Megafishes Project has recently established research project on the giant freshwater stingray (Himantura chaophraya) in central Thailand. Project partners include the University of Nevada, the Thai Department of Fisheries, the sport-fishing company Fishsiam, Dr. Nantarika Chansue of Chulalongkorn University, and the National Geographic Society. The giant freshwater stingray is listed as Vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). To date, researchers have tagged 18 stingrays and eventually hope to tag 40-50 fish.
For more information please see:
www.nationalgeographic.com/megafishes
→ No CommentsTags: Thailand · giant stingray · research · science
Two New Megafishes-Affiliated Trips Planned for 2009
May 3rd, 2009 · No Comments
If you enjoy catch-and-release fishing and would like to help support the Megafishes Project, two new trips have been planned for 2009.
India Trip:
→ No CommentsTags: recreational fishing
First Mekong Giant Catfish of the Season Harvested in Northern Thailand
May 3rd, 2009 · 1 Comment
Fishermen in Chiang Khong, Thailand caught a critically endangered Mekong giant catfish on Friday May 1 2009 . The female fish weighed approximately 150 kg and measured 170 cm in length. This capture marks the beginning of the fishing season in Chiang Khong, Thailand and Houay Xay, Laos (across the Mekong River from Chiang Khong). The female Mekong giant catfish was likely a mature adult migrating upstream to its spawning ground. More information to follow as reports come in from the field.
→ 1 CommentTags: Mekong giant catfish · News · Thailand
Wild population of Mekong Giant Catfish Faces New Challenge
May 3rd, 2009 · No Comments
An excellent article by Roger Mollot, published in the Mekong River Commission’s Fisheries publication “Catch and Culture”.
http://202.62.105.253/Catch-Culture/vol14_3Dec08/wild-population.htm
It’s worth noting that much of the research mentioned in this article is now on hold due to lack of funding.
→ No CommentsTags: Cambodia · Giant fish facts · Mekong giant catfish · News · Thailand · research
New Website: Save the Mekong
March 9th, 2009 · 2 Comments
For those of you interested in the Mekong River, please have a look at a new website dedicated to its conservation:
→ 2 CommentsTags: Cambodia · Mekong giant catfish · Thailand
Giant Stingray Picture: World’s Largest Freshwater Fish?
March 6th, 2009 · 7 Comments
Scientists working with the Megafishes Project tagged and released what could have been the world’s largest freshwater fish. See the details of the catch at:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090226-giant-stringray-picture-missions.html
The stingray, which was not weighed, was caught by volunteer angler Ian Welch then tagged and released by project scientists working with a joint National Geographic / University of Nevada / Thai Department of Fisheries team.
Tag, release, and recapture of fish is one method biologists use to estimate fish abundance.
→ 7 CommentsTags: Giant fish facts · National Geographic · News · Project Results · Thailand · giant stingray · recreational fishing · research · science
Interesting Article on Big Fish from Scientists in New York
March 6th, 2009 · No Comments
“Undesirable” evolution in fish – which makes their bodies grow smaller and fishery catches dwindle — can actually be reversed in a few decades’ time by changing our “take-the-biggest-fish” approach to commercial fishing, according to groundbreaking new research published by Stony Brook University scientists.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303193950.htm
→ No CommentsTags: Giant fish facts · News · research · science