VOA新闻杂志2022 柬埔寨村民捕获全球最大淡水鱼

Largest-ever Freshwater Fish Caught in Cambodia

A Cambodian fisherman recently caught the world's largest recorded freshwater fish in the Mekong River. The fish, a stingray, weighed just under 300 kilograms and measured four meters long.

A team of scientists from the research group Wonders of the Mekong quickly came to measure and photograph the fish. Zeb Hogan is the group's leader. He observed it is hard to find such a large fish in freshwater, saying, "so I think all of our team was stunned¹."

Hogan added, "The fact that the fish can still get this big is a hopeful sign for the Mekong River."

The Mekong runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is home to many different types of large freshwater fish.

The previous record for freshwater fish was a catfish². It was also caught in the Mekong, but in Thailand, in 2005 and weighed 293 kilograms. The Cambodian fisherman caught the record-breaking stingray near Stung³ Treng in the country's northeast.

Some fish spend part of the time in freshwater and some time in saltwater. As a result, large fish like beluga sturgeon and bluefin tuna do not qualify⁴ for the freshwater fish record.

Hogan said large fish are endangered around the world. They are caught because of their size and can be sold for a lot of money. They take a long time to grow and sometimes they are caught before they can reproduce⁵. Hogan said big fish also need large areas of water, such as long rivers or deep lakes to survive. They also can be hurt by projects that change the movement of rivers, such as dams.

"So about 70 percent of giant freshwater fish globally are threatened with extinction⁶, and all of the Mekong species⁷," Hogan said.

The researchers planted a tracking device near the tail of the stingray before releasing it. The device will send information to help scientists learn its behavior.

Hogan said the giant stingray is "a very poorly understood fish," and noted⁸ that even its name has changed many times in the last 20 years. The scientists hope to be able to follow its movements and learn more about its life, where it spends time and what it interacts⁹ with as it moves through the river.

The researchers say the record stingray is the fourth large female seen in the area in the past two months. So, they believe it could be a place where they go to lay eggs.

People in that part of Cambodia started to call the large fish Boramy, or full moon, because of its large shape and the fact that the moon was visible when it was let go. The fisherman was paid $600 for his catch, the same price he would have gotten if he sold it in a market.

Words in This Story

stunned– adj. surprised or shocked

track –v. to follow the progress and movements of something

extinction – n. the state or situation that results when something has died out completely

global – adj. involving the entire world

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar

1 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

2 catfish   

n.鲶鱼

参考例句：

• Huge catfish are skinned and dressed by hand.用手剥去巨鲇的皮并剖洗干净。
• We gigged for catfish off the pier.我们在码头以鱼叉叉鲶鱼。

3 stung   

螫伤，刺伤( sting的过去式和过去分词 )； 感到剧痛； 激怒； 使不安

参考例句：

• I was stung on the arm by a wasp. 我的胳膊给黄蜂蜇了一下。
• Her arm was beginning to swell up where the bee had stung her. 她胳膊给蜜蜂蜇了，肿了起来。

4 qualify   

vt.取得资格，有资格，限定，描述；vi.取得资格，有资格

参考例句：

• I won't qualify until next year.我明年才具备资格。
• You must qualify yourself for the post.你必须使自己具备担任这一工作的资格。

5 reproduce   

v.生育，繁殖，复制，重做

参考例句：

• The machine can reproduce a key in two minutes.这机器能在两分钟内复制一把钥匙。
• The picture will reproduce well.这照片会印得很清楚。

6 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

7 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 interacts   

v.相互作用[影响]，互相配合( interact的第三人称单数 )；交流；沟通；合作

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Antigen interacts with the surface of sensitized mast cells. 抗原与致敏的肥大细胞表面互相作用。 来自辞典例句