Garrison Hilliard
November 22nd, 2004, 03:15 AM
Hunt to protect freshwater giants
Thursday, November 18, 2004 Posted: 10:43 AM EST (1543 GMT)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- Scientists in 17 countries will scout
waterways to locate and study the world's largest freshwater fish species,
many of which are declining in numbers, hoping to learn how to better
protect them, researchers announced Thursday.
Scientists will look for creatures such as the Mekong giant catfish,
goliath catfish, giant stingrays, razor-toothed gars, massive carps,
caviar-producing sturgeon and predatory salmon -- which can all weigh more
than 90 kilograms (200 pounds) and grow to 1.8 meters (six feet) or
longer, the World Wildlife Fund said in a statement received Thursday.
The animals are "unique" and "disappearing fast," said Zeb Hogan, who will
lead the project funded by WWF and the National Geographic Society.
Hogan, who researches the Mekong giant catfish in Cambodia, said
scientists will tag fish to track their movements in hopes of better
understanding their migration paths and why they're dying off.
"These fish are the proverbial 'canaries in the coal mine' for freshwater
ecosystems," the statement quoted Hogan saying. "Their disappearance is
often the first warning sign of overfishing or other trouble in the rivers
and lakes where they live."
Some of the freshwater giants are listed on the World Conservation Union's
Red List of Threatened Species.
The Mekong giant catfish -- which shares the title of largest freshwater
fish with a close relative, the dog-eating catfish -- was listed as
critically endangered last year after research showed its numbers had
fallen by at least 80 percent over the past 13 years.
"These giants are the freshwater equivalents of elephants and rhinos, and
if they were visible to us on land the world wouldn't stand by while they
disappeared," Robin Abell, a WWF biologist, was quoted saying. "In the
end, we'll know better how to manage fishing and protect habitats to save
the species for the future."
Officials from the two sponsoring agencies could not be reached Thursday
for more details, including the countries where the research would take
place.
The project was launched to coincide with the start of a World
Conservation Union meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, of more than 6,000
government officials, scientists, executives and environmentalists.
The meeting is held every four years to outline new threats to endangered
plants and animals. The union's membership includes 81 states, 114
government agencies, more than 800 private groups and 10,000 scientists
from 181 countries.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/11/18/cambodia.bigfish.ap/index.html
Thursday, November 18, 2004 Posted: 10:43 AM EST (1543 GMT)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- Scientists in 17 countries will scout
waterways to locate and study the world's largest freshwater fish species,
many of which are declining in numbers, hoping to learn how to better
protect them, researchers announced Thursday.
Scientists will look for creatures such as the Mekong giant catfish,
goliath catfish, giant stingrays, razor-toothed gars, massive carps,
caviar-producing sturgeon and predatory salmon -- which can all weigh more
than 90 kilograms (200 pounds) and grow to 1.8 meters (six feet) or
longer, the World Wildlife Fund said in a statement received Thursday.
The animals are "unique" and "disappearing fast," said Zeb Hogan, who will
lead the project funded by WWF and the National Geographic Society.
Hogan, who researches the Mekong giant catfish in Cambodia, said
scientists will tag fish to track their movements in hopes of better
understanding their migration paths and why they're dying off.
"These fish are the proverbial 'canaries in the coal mine' for freshwater
ecosystems," the statement quoted Hogan saying. "Their disappearance is
often the first warning sign of overfishing or other trouble in the rivers
and lakes where they live."
Some of the freshwater giants are listed on the World Conservation Union's
Red List of Threatened Species.
The Mekong giant catfish -- which shares the title of largest freshwater
fish with a close relative, the dog-eating catfish -- was listed as
critically endangered last year after research showed its numbers had
fallen by at least 80 percent over the past 13 years.
"These giants are the freshwater equivalents of elephants and rhinos, and
if they were visible to us on land the world wouldn't stand by while they
disappeared," Robin Abell, a WWF biologist, was quoted saying. "In the
end, we'll know better how to manage fishing and protect habitats to save
the species for the future."
Officials from the two sponsoring agencies could not be reached Thursday
for more details, including the countries where the research would take
place.
The project was launched to coincide with the start of a World
Conservation Union meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, of more than 6,000
government officials, scientists, executives and environmentalists.
The meeting is held every four years to outline new threats to endangered
plants and animals. The union's membership includes 81 states, 114
government agencies, more than 800 private groups and 10,000 scientists
from 181 countries.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/11/18/cambodia.bigfish.ap/index.html