National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Photo: "Monster" Lake's Rare Giants Lure Anglers, Biologists


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An angler holds up a dog-eating catfish caught in an artificial lake in Thailand. The massive predator—named for stories of fishers luring it with dog meat—has almost disappeared from Southeast Asia's Mekong River.

Some conservationists argue that lakes created for sportfishing could help save rare species. The lakes allow anglers to catch and release fish under controlled conditions, for example, and serve as breeding centers for species that are vanishing in the wild.

Photograph courtesy Zeb Hogan