Monday May 2, 2022
The Phnom Penh Post —
A group of well-known underwater explorers have dived to a depth of about 75m below the surface of the Mekong River in Cambodia, an important body of water that is the last habitat of the world’s largest fresh water fish.
The deepest exploration mission ever carried out in the Mekong is an international effort led by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Wonders of the Mekong project, which began on April 23 and finished on April 27.
“We are exploring deep into the Mekong, another world – a realm within a hidden realm, a pitch-black space inhabited by rare and unusual fish like the Mekong giant stingray and giant catfish,” said Zeb Hogan, a fish biologist and leader of the USAID-funded project.
The area that the scientists will focus on is located just downstream of a Ramsar wetland of international importance. The region is dominated by flooded forests, rocky outcrops, sand bars, braided channels, deep pools and rapids and riffles. This area also is home to many of the Mekong’s more than 1,000 fish species, including the bizarre two-faced carp, giant goonch catfish, and the striped catfish, once a staple food in Cambodia.