VietNamNet Bridge
9 March 2015
A fisherman in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on March 4 caught a 1.7-meter long leo catfish weighing 65 kg. It is considered an endangered species.
At 10pm on March 5, the fisherman found the giant fish stuck in his net placed in the river of Nha Man in Chau Thanh district, Dong Thap province. With the assistance of others, he took the fish ashore.
That night the rare fish was bought by a restaurant for a few dozen million dong and taken to HCM City.
Leo catfish live in rivers or big lakes, distributed mainly in Asia, from Pakistan to Vietnam. It is a big carnivorous fish species that can grow up to 2.4m long. They are slow and seek food in the sludge layer. Its flesh is delicious and nutritious.
In Vietnam, the leo fish in nature is very rare in the Mekong River Basin. It is classified as endangered species, which should be preserved. An aquatic breeding center in the southern Vietnam has successfully bred the species.
Last year a fisherman in Dak Lak province caught four leo catfish, each weighing more than 40 kg, in the Ea H’Leo River. They were sold for VND450,000 per kilo.