Dam plans must change to save rare giant fish
27 July 2010
We want to see a postponement of plans to develop new hydropower dams on the Mekong River in south-east Asia– at least until there’s been a comprehensive assessment of all potential impacts. We’re particularly concerned that wild populations of the iconic Mekong giant catfish will be driven to extinction if the dams go ahead.
In our new report, River of Giants: Giant Fish of the Mekong, we profile four giant fish living in the Mekong River that rank among the top 10 largest freshwater fish on the planet.
At half the length of a bus, and weighing up to 600kgs, the Mekong River’s giant freshwater stingray is one of the world’s largest freshwater fish. The critically endangered and culturally fabled Mekong giant catfish ranks third, at up to 3 metres in length and 350kgs.
As our conservation science advisor, Mark Wright, explains: “More giant fish live in the Mekong than any other river on Earth. A fish the size of a Mekong giant catfish simply will not be able to swim across a large barrier like a dam to reach its spawning grounds upstream.
“Any dam built on the main lower Mekong River will block migration routes and lead to the collapse of the wild population of this extraordinary species.”
The Sayabouly dam is the first lower Mekong River mainstream dam to enter a critical stage of assessment before member countries of the Mekong River Commission advise on whether to approve its construction.
We support a delay in the approval of the mainstream dams, including the Sayabouly dam, to ensure a comprehensive understanding of all the positive and negative impacts of their construction and operation.
As an alternative, in order to meet immediate energy demands, we suggest using sustainable hydropower projects on tributaries of the Mekong River, prioritising those that already have hydropower dams developed on them.
The global top ten giant freshwater fish
- Giant freshwater stingray
- Chinese paddlefish
- Mekong giant catfish
- Wels catfish
- Giant pangasius (dog eating catfish)
- Giant barb
- Arapaima (pirarucu; paiche)
- Piraiba (lau lau; lechero)
- Nile perch
- Alligator gar
You can…
- Read the report River of Giants: Giant Fish of the Mekong
- Find out more about our global work on dams
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