These fish are a diverse assemblage of creatures of different shapes and life histories, from colossal carps and catfish to electric eels and gargantuan gars. Contenders for biggest fishįor his project, which was supported by the National Geographic Society, Hogan identified more than two dozen species under the term “megafishes,” freshwater fish that could grow at least six feet long or reach weights of 200 pounds. It’s not too late, the big fish are still out there.”Īnd Hogan says he’s still on the hunt-for a fish even heavier than the giant stingray. “Now we have the tools to study and protect these amazing creatures, so we need to take that newfound knowledge and turn it into meaningful protection. “We’ve been losing these fish without truly knowing them,” Hogan says. This has allowed researchers to track its movements to learn more about a species they knew next to nothing about. Unlike the catfish that was killed and sold for meat in 2005, the stingray caught last year was released alive after being fitted with an acoustic receiver. The discovery energized conservation efforts to protect these behemoths. The ray, as it turned out, measured 13 feet long and weighed 661 pounds, which Guinness World Records recognized as the largest-ever recorded freshwater fish in 2022.
Then, miraculously, Hogan’s research team in Cambodia got a call from fishers who said they had caught a giant freshwater stingray in the Mekong River, much bigger than ones previously caught. But even after finishing the manuscript last year, he still did not have an answer to the central question. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Įventually he and I began writing a book, Chasing Giants: In Search of the World’s Largest Freshwater Fish, published this month by University of Nevada Press.
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