Kathleen Zoehfeld - National Geographic Kids Chapters: Monster Fish!: True Stories of Adventures with Animals

Local fishermen use a tarp to lift a giant catfish out of the river.

T heres a little village that sits on the banks of the Mekong (sounds like MEE-kong) River in northern Thailand. Every year, the villagers eagerly await the arrival of the rainy season. It begins in early May. As the rain falls, the river rises. Many types of fish begin to swim upriver to lay their eggs. The villagers are looking to catch a very special kind of fish.

Early each morning, local fishers climb into their long, narrow boats and slip quietly into the river. One boat holds three or four fishermen. And each boat has its mong lai, or fishing net, ready. These nets are made from thick twine. They are made to catch giants!

The fishers paddle to a well-known spot on the river. Its a place where their parents and grandparents fished before them. The Mekong is a long, winding river with plenty of rocks and rapids that could tangle and tear nets. But in this area, the river runs straight and shallow.

The fishers take turns setting out their nets. One long edge of each net stays afloat. The rest of the net slowly sinks down. It spreads out under the muddy water.

Then the fishermen wait. With a little luck, they will soon have fish in their nets. For hundreds of years, fish from this river have been an important source of food for the local people.

The river is home to many types of fish. The redtail catfish gets its name from its brightly colored tail. The beady-eyed goonch has long, fleshy whiskers and spotted skin. The small carp, pla soi, is a special favorite. Fishers catch them by the thousands. Cooks mix the fish with salt and rice bran in large clay pots. They let the mixture sit for weeks, or even months. People say the longer the fish ferments in the pot, the better it tastes! But of all the fish, there is one more important than the rest: the Mekong giant catfish.

Here in the village of Hat Khrai, (sounds like hot KRY) this fish is revered. The street signs have giant catfish on them. The village has a giant catfish museum, complete with a 50-foot (15-m)-long giant catfish statue. And people wear T-shirts that say Hat Khrai: Home of the Worlds Largest Freshwater Fish!

In the Thai language, the giant catfish is called pla buek, or big fish. Legends say giant catfish as big as 770 pounds (350 kg) and 10 feet (3 m) long have been found in the river. But that was a long time ago.

In years past, when the fishing was good, a dozen or more boats would line up, waiting for a chance to catch a giant catfish. One morning in May 2005, a group of young fishermen decided to borrow a net and try. But no one expected to catch a giant.

Did You Know?

The Mekong giant catfish is a gentle giant. It has no teeth and feeds mainly on the algae and other soft plants growing on the rocks in the riverbed.