Which Is the Largest Freshwater Fish?

In June 2022, a giant freshwater stingray (Urogymnus polylepis) caught in the Mekong River in Cambodia weighed approximately 300 kg and measured nearly 4 metres from snout to tail, making it the largest freshwater fish ever recorded. Other contenders include the Mekong giant catfish (up to 293 kg), the Chinese paddlefish (now believed extinct, up to 300 kg historically), and the beluga sturgeon (though sturgeons are often anadromous — moving between fresh and salt water). The Mekong River basin is a global hotspot for giant freshwater species.