Pangasius Gigas - Mekong Giant Catfish

Pangasius Gigas, better: Mekong giant catfish or Pangasianodon gigas is the largest species of the Shark catfish family (Pangasiidae) and one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Pangasius gigas (not to be confused with Pangasius Sanitwongsei) is exclusively found in the Mekong River and due to overfishing and loss of habitat seriously endangered. The Mekong giant catfish is characterized by a very quick growth, thus several attempts have been made to raise it in farms.


The Mekong giant catfish does not feature scales and has an elongated, laterally compressed body. Adults can reach a total body length of up to three meters and a weight of 300 kg. Females tend to be longer and heavier than males. The Mekong giant catfish is silvery-gray with a pale white belly. The fins are always gray. Juveniles are darker with a silvery, shiny abdomen and have two stripes along the flanks. The head accounts for up to 14 to 21% of their standard length and is wider than that of Pangasius hypophthalmus, the most common species on the world market. However, it is not that wide as of the Giant Pangasius (Pangasius Sanitwongsei).

The Mekong giant catfish is endemic in the Mekong region. Originally, this included the whole Mekong River and its tributaries in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam and southern China. Today, Pangasius Gigas is almost exclusively found in the Tonle Sap Lake and the nearby areas of the Mekong River. The Mekong giant catfish is a pure freshwater fish, living in large rivers preferring water depths of 10 or more meters. They prefer rocky or gravel substrate and are occasionally found in underwater caves.

While young animals feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans – they are even prone to cannibalism – adult Mekong giant catfish are pure herbivores, feeding mainly on algae.

The Mekong giant catfish has been a popular edible fish for a long time due to its size and its tasty meat. Here the meat is tastier than after the spawning migration. However, since the 1950s, annual catches decreased from several hundred to a few individual catches. The stock seems to be in a free fall, reaching a maximum of some 2,500 animals in the wild.

Initial attempts to keep the Mekong giant catfish in farms were started in 1967 in Thailand, as their rapid growth seems promising for commercial use. 1983 was the year of artificial reproduction and the annual production reaches currently over three hundred thousand fish. However, it is still unclear whether attempts of reintroduction to the wild can have the desired positive impact.