A fisherman has caught a rare and huge 100-kilogram Siamese giant carp in a river near Tonle Sap lake.
100-kilogram Siamese giant carp
A 100-kilogram Siamese giant carp that had been caught in a fisherman’s gill net was freed and released into the Tonle Sap lake by Fisheries Administration officials on Tuesday, The PhnomPenhPost reports.
The fish was caught by Yon Kunthea, a 36-year-old fisherman from Pursat province’s Krakor district.
“I was collecting the fishing net to retrieve the small fish, but I saw a huge tear in the fishing net,” he said. “When I lifted it, I saw a huge Siamese giant carp trapped in it. At that time, I was overwhelmed because it was huge, and I have never experienced that before,” he said, adding that he promptly called the authorities to inspect and free the huge carp.
“The Siamese giant carp is a rare and endangered freshwater species. We are happy that the fisherman has a good understanding of the benefits of this rare species and is actively collaborating [with us] to preserve it,” Song Ly, a Fisheries Administration official in Pursat province, said.
Believed to have been washed into the net by strong currents exacerbated by floods in the past few weeks, the fish was released into a deeper part of the lake, Ly said.