Latest Mekong River News

Giant fish thought to be extinct is spotted in the Mekong River

Oct. 22, 2024 12:07 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge fish in the Mekong River thought to be extinct has been spotted three times in recent years. “The giant salmon carp is like a symbol of the Mekong region,” said Chheana Chhut, a researcher at the Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute in...

Cambodian fishermen turn to raising eels as Tonle Sap lake runs out of fish

Oct. 10, 2024 09:18 AM EDT

KAMPONG PHLUK, Cambodia (AP) — Em Phat, 53, studies his eel tanks with the intensity of a man gambling with his livelihood. For millennia, fishermen like him have relied on the bounty of the Tonle Sap in Cambodia, Southeast Asia’s largest lake and the epicenter of the world’s...

Cambodia hopes a new canal will boost trade. But it risks harming the Mekong that feeds millions

Sep. 25, 2024 20:58 PM EDT

PREK TAKEO, Cambodia (AP) — The Mekong River is a lifeline for millions in the six countries it traverses on its way from its headwaters to the sea, sustaining the world’s largest inland fishery and abundant rice paddies on Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Cambodia's plan to build a...