The giant salmon carp (Aaptosyax grypus) is not established as extinct: researchers documented Cambodian captures from 2020 to 2023, and a further Sesan River capture was reported in 2025. The Mekong-basin fish remains classified as Critically Endangered. These records confirm that it was present in particular places at particular times; they do not show that its population is recovering.
What is the giant salmon carp?
Aaptosyax grypus, commonly called the giant salmon carp, is a large fish endemic to the Mekong basin. It is classified as Critically Endangered. Its long absence from confirmed records led to fears that it might have disappeared, but that is not the same as a formal determination that the species is extinct.
As Chheana Chhut, an IFReDI researcher and co-author of the 2024 study, told the Associated Press, “this species of fish seems to have disappeared from the Mekong region for decades,” referring to the period after the last confirmed sighting in 2005. The later Cambodian records show why absence of confirmation should not be mistaken for proof of extinction.
Where and when was it found?
A 2024 peer-reviewed study documented three Cambodian captures between 2020 and 2023. The records extended documented occurrence to the Cambodian Mekong mainstream and the Sesan River, outside the historical range described in the paper. Two adult fish, caught in 2022 and 2023, were examined and deposited at Cambodia’s Inland Fisheries Research & Development Institute (IFReDI). The study reported their weights as 6 kg and 5 kg and their total lengths as 88 cm and 72.5 cm, respectively; the authors described their identification as clear. Read the study in Oryx.
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A subsequent Oryx article reports another fish, weighing 6.2 kg, caught on 27 November 2025 in the Sesan River below a reservoir in Stung Treng Province, Cambodia. This is an additional occurrence record, not a population count. Read the report on the 2025 capture.
How strong is the evidence?
Not all reports of a rare fish offer the same certainty. A community report or photograph can alert researchers to a possible occurrence; examining a specimen provides stronger evidence for identification. In the 2022 and 2023 cases, researchers examined the adults and deposited them at IFReDI. The 2024 Associated Press report describes the three Cambodian records and explains that relationships with fishing communities helped researchers learn about unusual catches. Read the Associated Press report.
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Chheana Chhut called the fish “like a symbol of the Mekong region.” Study co-author Bunyeth Chan of Svay Rieng University described seeing it in person: “I was really surprised and excited to see the real fish for the first time.” The excitement reflects the importance of the records, not evidence of a population rebound.
Do the discoveries mean the species is recovering?
No. A capture establishes presence at a location and time. It cannot, by itself, tell researchers how many giant salmon carp remain, whether their numbers are rising or falling, or how widely they are distributed today. The available evidence cited here does not establish a contemporary species-specific population estimate or a quantified trend. The measured weights and lengths are measurements of individual fish, not population statistics.
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A 2020 study on Mekong megafishes provides broader context about pressures on large river fish, but it is not a current census or a giant-salmon-carp-specific population estimate. Read the Mekong megafish study.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What could help protect the giant salmon carp?
- Keep recording unusual catches. Information shared by fishing communities can direct researchers to possible records and help build knowledge of where the fish occurs.
- Monitor rivers systematically. The 2024 study discusses environmental DNA (eDNA) as a possible way to improve understanding of the species’ contemporary range.
- Protect connected river habitat. The later Oryx article highlights the need to protect important river reaches and migration corridors, and to reduce threats to the fish.
- Coordinate across the lower Mekong. The reported Cambodian records suggest movement among Cambodia, Thailand and Lao PDR may matter for conservation, making regional monitoring and cooperation important.
These are conservation priorities, not proof that any one intervention has already increased the species’ numbers. A 2025 capture in the Sesan adds a significant location record, but determining status and distribution requires continued monitoring.
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