Kingdom’s Upper Mekong likely last natural habitat for iridescent…

Khmer Times – Researchers and officials from the Wonders of the Mekong said that the Cambodia’s Upper Mekong River system is likely the last surviving natural habitat for the endangered Pangasianodon hypophthalmus or iridescent shark. The iridescent shark or iridescent shark catfish is native to the rivers of Southeast Asia and is endangered. Despite being endangered, the number of the Read More…

Three institutions tasked to restore Tonle Sap Lake to conserve fish…

Khmer Times – Prime Minister Hun Sen has tasked three institutions to work together to restore and deepen the Tonle Sap bed aiming to conserve fish species. In a special statement delivered on May 27, the Prime Minister said that from year to year, the Tonle Sap becomes shallower due to the influx of sediment and fallen tree leaves into the lake. The Premier ordered the Tonle Sap Read More…

Watch a Giant Stingray’s Safe Return to Its River Home

The New York Times – Just after dawn on May 5, scientists working along a stretch of the Mekong River in Cambodia released a giant, endangered freshwater stingray that had been caught on a fisherman’s line. At 13 feet long and 400 pounds, the gigantic animal pancake was larger than a hibachi table. “It was shaking, and I told her, ‘Calm down, we will release you soon,’” said Chea Read More…

Return of the titans: 1,000 giant fish poured into Tonle Sap Lake

The Nation Thailand — Zeb Hogan, a US research biologist at the University of Nevada, Reno, said the move was “first step in an effort to restore populations of the Mekong’s largest freshwater fishes”, according to a March 4 press release from Wonders of the Mekong, a project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). “Fish reserves have been shown to be an Read More…

Saltwater intrusion damage successfully prevented this season: Mekong…

Vietnam Plus — Provinces in the Mekong Delta have said they have taken effective measures to mitigate saltwater intrusion impacts in the ongoing dry season. This has helped ensure fresh water for agriculture production and household use in coastal areas. The delta, which comprises 12 provinces and Can Tho City, is normally affected by saltwater intrusion from the sea during the dry Read More…

Mekong Dam Monitor at One Year: What Have We Learned?

Stimson — The Mekong Dam Monitor’s (MDM) near-real time tracking of dam operations and river flow provides unique insight into the changes that dams have caused to the Mekong River’s natural flow. This article summarizes three new findings from the first year of MDM activity using data produced by the MDM as well as the Mekong River Commission’s (MRC) historical database. Data shows Read More…

‘Buying’ Mekong Water From China A Farfetched Scheme

VN Express — Several researchers have reacted with skepticism and criticism to American experts’ suggestions of Mekong downstream countries paying China for water to avoid drought. Some said it was not just impractical but also something that would set a “bad precedent.” In mid-February, American experts, Alan Basist, Mekong Dam Monitor Co-Lead, and Brian Eyler, Southeast Read More…

Mekong Delta Most Vulnerable To Flooding Because Of Sea Level Rise

Vietnam Plus — An 80-cm rise in the sea level could leave 31.94 percent of the Mekong Delta permanently flooded, according to the 2020 version of the climate change scenario report recently released by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE). The risk of flooding caused by sea level rise will be likely to increase on account of a combination of different factors, from Read More…

Mekong Delta Prepares For Possible Drought, Salinity

VN Express — Farmers and authorities in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta have started storing water, building dams and planting seeds early to avoid drought and salinity. Living near Kenh Lap, Mekong Delta’s largest manmade reservoir in Ben Tre Province, Le Van Hao said he had witnessed how the reservoir, which has a capacity of nearly one million cubic meters, ran dry in April 2020. That Read More…

Last Known Freshwater Dolphin In Northeastern Cambodia Dies

StarTribune — The last known freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin on a stretch of the Mekong River in northeastern Cambodia has died, apparently after getting tangled in a fishing net, wildlife officials said Wednesday. The aquatic mammal was found dead Tuesday on a riverbank in Stung Treng province near the border with Laos, Cambodia’s Fisheries Conservation Department announced on its Facebook Read More…