Monster fish weighing same as a grizzly bear becomes world record-breaking catch

dailystar.co.uk:

A monster stingray, weighing some 661lb, has been caught in Cambodia – smashing the previous record for a freshwater fish.The venomous fish, a distant relative of the shark, was caught in the Mekong River.The prize catch is some 15lb heavier than the previous fresh water record holder, a Mekong giant catfish caught in Thailand in 2005.It means the record-breaking catch weighs the same as an adult grizzly bear.Zeb Hogan, a biologist who leads Wonders of the Mekong, a USAID-funded conservation project, told the BBC: "In 20 years of researching giant fish in rivers and lakes on six continents, this is the largest freshwater fish that we've encountered or that's been documented anywhere worldwide."Finding and documenting this fish is remarkable,” Hogan added, “and a rare positive sign of hope, even more so because it occurred in the Mekong, a river that's currently facing many challenges”.The huge fish was caught by a local fisherman from Koh Preah island on the night of June 13.He called to tell researchers that he had caught what he described as a "very big" stingray.When measured the fish turned out to be seven feet, two inches across and over 13ft long.The giant stingray was studied and tagged before being released back into the water."The stingray find is evidence that the natural world can still yield new and extraordinary discoveries, and that many of the largest aquatic creatures remain woefully understudied," Dr Hogan said.This is the second giant stingray examined by the team since May - the earlier one weighed 399lb.The giant freshwater stingray is an endangered species, having been overfished for decades by people who want to eat them, and those that want to show them off in aquariums.When hooked, the monster.