“A huge fish in the Mekong River thought to be extinct has been spotted three times in recent years,” reports the Associated Press:
“The giant salmon carp is like a symbol of the Mekong region,” said Chheana Chhut, a researcher at the Inland Fisheries Research Institute in Cambodia.
The predatory fish can grow up to 4 feet in length, and has a conspicuous knob at the tip of its lower jaw. A striking patch of yellow surrounds its large eyes.
With the last confirmed sighting in 2005, ‘this species of fish seems to have disappeared from the Mekong region for decades’… Since 2017, biologists tracking migratory fish species in Cambodia have developed relationships with local fishing communities, asking them to alert any unusual sightings. That’s how the three giant salmon carp found in the Mekong River and a tributary in Cambodia between 2020 and 2023 came to the attention of researchers.
The giant salmon carp has survived even though it is a migratory species, and there are more than 700 dams on the Mekong River and the rivers that flow into it (and there are very few fish channels or fish ladders to help fish get around dams).
The Mekong River is the greatest river in Southeast Asia, the third-longest river in Asia, and the 12th-longest river in the world.
Crocodiles are making a comeback in Cambodia, which is one of the countries through which the Mekong River flows. Crocodiles are also flourishing in Australia after previously coming close to extinction there
Robots are cleaning up Asia’s rivers and coasts, including in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand. German robots are hunting the North Sea for thousands of unexploded bombs.
Bengal tigers are making a comeback in Bangladesh.
Mekong River near Luang Prabang, Laos. By Bjørn Christian Tørrissen
– Own work by uploader, http://bjornfree.com/, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77472290
Florida’s manatee population has rebounded. Sea turtle nests tripled in Florida.
Fish species are rebounding off the coast of California due to their young finding a sanctuary in abandoned oil rigs.
