Reno Reporter

On March 5, scientists released approximately 1,500 fish into a lake in Cambodia in an effort to save some of the world’s largest, most endangered freshwater species.

According to the press release shared by the University of Reno (UNR), Nevada, they are releasing the fish into Cambodia's Tonle Sap lake, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and one of the richest inland fishing grounds in the world.

"Out in the middle of the lake, you can barely see land; the sky and the lake blend together and it can be hard to see the horizon," said Zeb Hogan, fish biologist from the UNR's College of Science's Department of Biology and a member of the University's Global Water Center.

Species released into the lake include the Mekong giant catfish, the striped river catfish and Cambodia’s national fish the giant barb. All three species are considered endangered. 

"It's a great project, releasing the world's biggest fish into one of the largest networks of freshwater fish sanctuaries," Hogan said. "There are many different sizes of the three species we are releasing, ranging from about 10 inches to a 5-foot-long Mekong giant catfish."

The fish were released into a government administered reserve in the Tonle Sap Lake, where fishing is prohibited. The fish will be tagged by researchers before they are released so that scientists will be able to study the fishes’ survival, growth and movement.

"Fish reserves have been shown to be an effective tool at protecting aquatic biodiversity and boosting fish biomass," Hogan said. "It’s one action, of many that are needed, to bring these species back from the brink of extinction."