Zeb Hogan finds, studies and protects megafish like this Payara in the Rewa River in Guyana.

Mike Wolterbeek
May 26, 2020

“For the last 20 years, I’ve worked with the same fishermen in Cambodia.."

It was in Thailand 25 years ago that biologist Zeb Hogan saw his first giant freshwater fish. “I was on an exchange program in Thailand and on a visit to the Mekong River I saw a group of fishermen catch a Mekong giant catfish – they had pulled the fish into a small boat and the fish was almost as big as the boat,” Hogan said. “I'd guess that particular catfish weighed about 400 pounds and measured 8 feet in length. It made an impression; I'd never seen such a large freshwater fish.”

His current signature project, of which he is the Principal Investigator, is the $9.6 million USAID project the Wonders of the Mekong in Cambodia. It seeks to identify a sustainable future for the food security and economic dependence, by melding a scientific understanding with historical knowledge of the Mekong river system and the people who use it.

“The Last River Giants” exhibition features stunning life-size sculptures, hands-on interactive exhibits and evocative video installations that put the exhibit-goer face-to-face with the behemoth freshwater fish. Not quite as face-to-face as Hogan gets, but perhaps the next best thing short of traveling the globe.

https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2 ... rd---hogan

Thanks Fu, great story. I had never heard of this guy or this project before.

And he sure shows up the shallow "nature conquering hero" Jeremy Wade to be the sensationalist tabloid headline hunter he really is.

It tells a lot about the food vs population situation when systematic researches are launched, in order to scan all that is available on earth, and what can be done with it... Digging rivers, digging the sea, put all the drawers upside-down, browse the stuff....

Talking about megafishes and protection, how comes various asian countries had forbidden to catch them, and we didn't ?
Here's a pic of a big catch right in my hometown city center, 2.58 m / 9 foot

[media]https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la- ... ne-6369957 [/media]
This one gives around 8 kg of a nice white filet, no fishbones but tasting a bit bland, but anyway you have to drain the blood out to kick the mud taste out. It's similar to the monkfish, and can be very good if well cooked and seasoned.

There's a whole series of this guy & "monster fish" on Nat Geo. He nabs a massive stringray in Thailand in one episode.



I've never swum off Koh Dach beach since.

^^^ Jesus H Christ.