Biologist Zeb Hogan examines a giant freshwater stingray that fisher Sok Long (left) caught on April 1, 2008, in Kratie, Cambodia.

Subsistence fishers use bait sometimes weighing several pounds to catch the giant rays on ropes lined with hooks.

"A fisherman in Cambodia can make months of salary from catching one big fish," Hogan said.

Populations of giant freshwater stingrays in the Mekong River, where this fish was caught, appear to have declined due to overfishing.

After examining and photographing the stingray, Hogan and the fishers released it back into the river.

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