Better than the lottery! Ubon fisherman nets 16 giant catfish worth half a million!

[webfact]

Better than the lottery! Ubon fisherman nets 16 giant catfish worth half a million!

 

Thai caption: Moon River treasure

 

Sanook reported that a river fisherman in Ubon Ratchathani province in Thailand's north east felt like he had won the lottery. 

 

As water levels in the Moon River north of the Pak Moon dam dropped Bun Seethon, 57, could scarcely believe his eyes. 

 

Picture: Sanook

 

His trawling nets contained 11 Pla Buk (Mekhong Giant Catfish) weighing 1,970 kilos. He sold them at the market for 200 baht a kilo and made 394,000 baht. 

 

Returning in the evening he caught five more for a total payday of 504,000 baht. 

 

Source: Sanook

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-10-07

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[robblok]

He could have made more money if they were alive and sold to fishing ponds. 

[SoilSpoil]

In tomorrows news we will read about the critically endangered Pla Buk en the conservation efforts of the authorities.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Excellent. 

 

Soon we'll clock up another species to have extincted.

 

[CLW]

Excellent. 
 
Soon we'll clock up another species to have extincted.
 

Makes me wonder how threatened species like that can be caught and sold openly. Maybe they are categorised as threatened anywhere in the world.

Could be possible that Thailand (once again) made up it's own rules as foreign experts have no clue...

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[Just Weird]

13 minutes ago, CLW said:

Makes me wonder how threatened species like that can be caught and sold openly. Maybe they are categorised as threatened anywhere in the world.

Could be possible that Thailand (once again) made up it's own rules as foreign experts have no clue...

"Could be possible that Thailand (once again) made up it's own rules as foreign experts have no clue...".

 

No, it couldn't be that.  Thailand, Cambodia and Laos has made it illegal to fish for them so perhaps he was not fishing for them specifically but, due to the circumstances explained in the OP, they were inadvertently caught in the nets.   What's he then supposed to do with the dead fish?

[cornishcarlos]

He'll be broke again by the end of the year !! If not sooner ????

[PETERTHEEATER]

11 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

He'll be broke again by the end of the year !! If not sooner ????

Yes, the excitement of paying his first ever income tax will soon wear off.....,

[CLW]

"Could be possible that Thailand (once again) made up it's own rules as foreign experts have no clue...".

 

No, it couldn't be that.  Thailand, Cambodia and Laos has made it illegal to fish for them so perhaps he was not fishing for them specifically but, due to the circumstances explained in the OP, they were inadvertently caught in the nets.   What's he then supposed to do with the dead fish?

Not sure who to blame. I'm no expert for fishing and fishing laws but in another country most likely even if he caught them by accident he might have avoided a fine but surely couldn't sell them.

 

On the other hand the government might have banned fishing for this species, given support or advice how to prevent catching them or at the moment totally banned fishing with these low water levels in general to protect the fish population.

 

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[Matzzon]

Whatch out Moon River. Fishing Frenzy is coming!

[tyga]

Depressing reading. About time endangered species were a commercial liablity instead of an asset. Should be mechanisms in place so that he'd be worried about fines worth 5M not payouts!

[metempsychotic]

5 hours ago, SoilSpoil said:

In tomorrows news we will read about the critically endangered Pla Buk en the conservation efforts of the authorities.

given they are protected i find it odd that no mention of that is made in the article.

 

54 minutes ago, CLW said:

due to the circumstances explained in the OP, they were inadvertently caught in the nets.   What's he then supposed to do with the dead fish?

i dont see any indication in the article that the fish were, in fact, dead when the nets were pulled up.

and, even if they were, how does that even begin to explain this:

 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Returning in the evening he caught five more for a total payday of 504,000 baht. 

the fisherman can hardly be faulted if the official position to the fishing of these animals is so blase that it is trumpeted in the news as a boon.

 

32 minutes ago, tyga said:

Depressing reading. About time endangered species were a commercial liablity instead of an asset. Should be mechanisms in place so that he'd be worried about fines worth 5M not payouts!

agree whole heartedly. A series of fines should be levied fro the top fishery officials in the area through the vndors that purchased them to the fisherman who pulled them up.

but that obviously isn't going to happen.

 

it will be interesting to see if there is any international commentary and the resulting reaction.

 

As another poster has mentioned it could result in a gold rush of sorts.

As the rest of the origina article translated indicates, it is clearly a well established an (unnofficially) sanctioned trade. Many fingers in the pie.

 

and to translate the rest of the article
 

Quote

 

For Mrs. Jintana Komaman, a member of Ban Dan Khongjiam Municipality Council, Khong Chiam district, owner of a small fresh fish tank shop Which is a catfish buying shop Said that today he has been buying 16 giant catfish, weighing 2,520 kilograms, and buying 200 baht per kilogram, totaling 504,000 baht. This is a sensation that the villagers can catch the giant catfish at the same time and hold this. Is the largest catfish caught in 10 years since buying giant catfish The Mekong giant cat fish that has been bought for sale in Pakse, Lao PDR, which Laos merchants and restaurants that Laos bought unlimitedly. By buying the whole body without dissection Then deliver by boat Some are dissected and sold to brothers in Khong Chiam district, 300 baht per kilogram
 

When the villagers heard the news of the parade to buy the best menu Until completely, because it is a real river fish Delicious meat. People like to eat. Is a very rare fish Every once in a while fishermen can catch one It is a fish that is delicious and the most expensive of freshwater fish.
 

Mr Chakrit Pimlor, director of Khong Chiam Wittayakom School, said that Giant catfish is a rare and popular fish among consumers, believing that those who have eaten will live longer. The restaurant is popular for stir-fried, spicy, spicy, tom yum and spicy food. Boiled, stabbed especially the belly a little bit Use to make northeast steamed buns Because this kind of fish looks like pork belly, has a fat layer and meat The most delicious taste among the fish family Especially natural fish that can be found in the Mun and Mekong rivers

 

 

 

[metempsychotic]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

"Could be possible that Thailand (once again) made up it's own rules as foreign experts have no clue...".

 

No, it couldn't be that.  Thailand, Cambodia and Laos has made it illegal to fish for them so perhaps he was not fishing for them specifically but, due to the circumstances explained in the OP, they were inadvertently caught in the nets.   What's he then supposed to do with the dead fish?

i hardly see as how that could be the case, he went back for more.

oops

[Thingamabob]

Disgusting, cruel and stupid.

[hotchilli]

Money versus morals.... fish had no chance !!!

[andy72]

Catfish are notoriously resilient I imagine he killed them

He caught 16 sold them didnt think to take some time off with his windfall
no he went right back out there and caught more

 

I know water levels were dropping but why so many fish in one place mating or did they find a tasty weighted corpse or two to feed upon

[observer90210]

One may assume the fisherman was not a rich educate individual, before his miraculous catch....consquently, what to expect from a poor man, striving to survive and feed his family, on the virtues and aspects of endangered species, assuming that these species are protected ? ? ?

[Elkski]

Did they ever mention that these fish maybe 80 years old or something ridiculous.  Just imagine how many contaminants and heavy metals are in the meat and flesh especially the fat of old fish like this. There's going to be a lot of fishermen out there because he didn't catch them all but they will be soon slaughtered with glee.  Maybe with the water low they were mating at the same time and he was able to trap them. You can imagine the average Tire would not have fishing tackle strong enough to catch any of these fish. So rare so rare but let's kill 16 of  the mature  egg  laying age. 

[Matzzon]

4 hours ago, metempsychotic said:

how does that even begin to explain this:

Probably something like this: Do you know who I know?

[AussieBob18]

I think the fine imposed by the BiB will be around 400-500K

He should have shut up about it

 

 

[chickenslegs]

According to the WWF the Mekong Giant Catfish only lives in the Mekong River.

http://greatermekong.panda.org/our_solutions/species/mekong_giant_catfish_in_the_greater_mekong/

 

I will make a guess that the fish in this article may be of a similar species and that the term 'Mekong Giant Catfish' in the OP is inaccurate.

 

Nobody is stupid enough to openly boast about catching/buying/selling/cooking an endangered species (I do stand to be corrected on that).

[metempsychotic]

14 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

According to the WWF the Mekong Giant Catfish only lives in the Mekong River.

http://greatermekong.panda.org/our_solutions/species/mekong_giant_catfish_in_the_greater_mekong/

 

I will make a guess that the fish in this article may be of a similar species and that the term 'Mekong Giant Catfish' in the OP is inaccurate.

 

Nobody is stupid enough to openly boast about catching/buying/selling/cooking an endangered species (I do stand to be corrected on that).

the mehkong river, or, more correctly, the mekhong basin is a massive system. 

The mekhong catfish is named more for the system it occupies than the river proper. wikipedia, indicates a similar opinion:

 

Quote

The Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas; Thai: ปลาบึก, RTGS: pla buek, pronounced [plāː bɯ̀k]; Khmer: ត្រីរាជ /trəy riec/; Vietnamese: cá tra dầu), is a large, critically endangered species of catfish (order Siluriformes) in the shark catfish family (Pangasiidae), native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia and adjacent China. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mekong_river_basin.png

 

the Mun, or Moon river is a major part of that system.

[Just Weird]

On 10/7/2019 at 3:54 PM, metempsychotic said:

i hardly see as how that could be the case, he went back for more.

oops

Perhaps he went back for more of the fish that he was actually fishing for and caught more giant  catfish inadvertently again due to the water level.

 

Oops.