The tick, which was nearly four meters (13 feet) in size from the muzzle to the tail and weighed just under 300 kilograms (661 pounds), was arrested on June 13, according to a statement from the Wonders of the Mekong, a joint research project. Cambodia-USA. It was caught by a local fisherman south of Stung Treng in the northeast of the country and nicknamed “Boramy”, or “full moon”, by locals because of its round shape. The fisherman alerted a nearby team of scientists from the Wonders of the Mekong. The previous record for a freshwater fish was a 293-pound (646 pound) giant Mekong catfish, discovered in Thailand in 2005, the team said. “When you see a fish of this size, especially in freshwater, it’s hard to understand, so I think our whole team was surprised,” said Zeb Hogan, leader of the Wonders of the Mekong. Mr Hogan added that the fact that the fish could still grow so large was a “promising sign for the Mekong River”, despite the environmental challenges. The team placed a marker near the fish’s tail that will send tracking information for next year, providing data on the behavior of giant ticks in Cambodia. In honor of the record, the lucky fisherman was compensated with the purchase price, which means he received a payment of about $ 600. The Mekong River crosses China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is home to many species of freshwater giant fish, but environmental pressures are mounting with particular fear by scientists around a major dam project in recent years that could seriously disrupt spawning grounds. Freshwater fish are defined as those that spend their entire lives in freshwater, as opposed to giant marine species such as bluefin tuna and marlin, or freshwater and saltwater fish such as the giant beluga sturgeon. Researchers say it is the fourth giant tick reported in the same area in the past two months, all female. They believe this may be a spawning hotspot for the species.
