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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Four endangered giant catfish were released Wednesday into the Mekong River after seven years of captivity in hopes of boosting the population of the species, which has fallen sharply in the last two decades.
Calling the rare fish "an omen of luck and prosperity," their owner, Ing Vannath, said he wanted to repay that good fortune "by returning them to their natural habitat to allow them the chance to swim freely," according to a statement from the World Wildlife Fund.
The four adult fish weighed between 99 pounds and 110 pounds each and measured about nearly five feet long. The species — believed to be the world's largest freshwater fish — can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 660 pounds.
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