Gallery pic

Correct me if i'm wrong but Himantura Chaophraya (Freshwater Stingray)is considered critically endangered and listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list.

I'd be pretty pissed of if i were that fish and only a few fellow mates left in the world or am i missing something?

/forum/smilies/i_dont_know_smiley.gif

Glory shot Wol..............

Not a very nice one either!

Especially the rope!

hunters, thats all i can say

ivewould have never known such fish existed, definetly a shame to see dead

I looked at that earlier and thought the rope business was more than a little unecessary however different cultures and all that.

Not acceptable if the species is protected due to being endangered though.

with the fish left in the water , couldn't the chances be that the stingraywas released after the pic was taken?

Probably destined for the pot anyway!

You're spot on Wol...

The giant freshwater stingray is indeed classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List 2004

The rope thing is most likely a stringer of some kind, (similar to the ones used to retain mahseer in India), which hopefully suggests thatit was released.

It would be interesting tohearwhat the album's owner (from fishsiam.com) has to say about it...

its a disgrace, does that stringer go through the eyes?, what a great shame

If that is an example of fishing in foreign climes then I can only thank god I don't participate, it is an appalling way to treat (mistreat might be a better word)any creature. It reminds me a little of the great white hunter shots in Africastood alongside some poor (insert any animal) that he has wantonly killed just so he can pretend he is a man when in actual fact he is anything but.

Disgraceful, and a bad advert for angling.

Monk,

I'm not sure how they have threaded the stringer in this pic as I know nothing about stingray's anatomy. But I have to admit, it doesn't look good very healthy at all to a layman like myself.

That rope in the Thailand pic bears no resemblance to the stringers I have seen employed in India.

The Indian stringer is made of soft, flat nylon cord about 1cm wide. I have seen them used on mahseer on the Kaveri and they are threaded through the back of the gill plate and out the mouth. Although this sounds (and looks) very dodgy, given the proximity of the gills, I have never seen any ill effects.

The guides I have asked about it have suggested that for the really big mahseer, it is the safest way of retaining a fish to ensure that it is fully recovered.

I guess in proficient hands it is the equivalent of holding a correctly chinned pike in the flow before release?

That said, it is still a practise that I am not altogether comfortable with.

I look forward to hearing the photographer's point of view.

Lets see what his views are on it, drum roll.........

Sent him a Pm alerting him to the thread...

All of our Giant freshwater stingray captures have been successfully released unharmed.

The method used to secure these gigantic creatures involves the use of a rope which is threaded through the spiracle(nasal cavity).

This is exactly the same principle as the stringer system employed for species such as Mahseer as previously stated by ****y.Mahseer weighing 60-100lb are secured with much softer and weaker chords.The massive size of these creatures with weights reaching 200kg+ dictates the use of much stronger ropes.

With battles lasting upto six hours it is essential that these giants have time to recooperate before being returned to the turbulent flow of the tidal river.

With the majority of our large fish caught at the middle reaches of this massive tidal river it is necessary for the insertion of a rope through the spiracle for a short period totransport the fish to shallower water.

The Giant freshwater stingray is listed as threatened on the IUCN red list not critically endangered as stated in this thread previously. This species was first formally described in 1989with very few documented captures being recorded. I am currently on site at the Ban Pakong with the fishsiam team conducting a scientific study alongside fish biologists regarding Giant freshwater stingray. We are also sharing information with the Southern Australian Museum in an effort to gain a greater understanding of this highly understudied predatory giant.

With response to the ludicrous statement made by the Monk with regards to the fish's eyes being harmed anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of stingray anatomy would know that the creatures eyes are located some distance from the spiracle and at no time do they come into contact with the securing rope.

I would also like to explain that the giant freshwater stingray has gills on its underside/belly which are nowhere near the spiracle which is situated on the creature's torso located on the upperside. This has been discussed in depth on the forum of anglersnet by intelligent and experienced anglers.

good reply Rick, i did wonder if it was the normal treatment as i believe similar is done to Skate when caught.

only need to take issue on one point,

This has been discussed in depth on the forum of anglersnet by intelligent and experienced anglers.

who qualifies as intelligent on anglersnet?/forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

I have had highly informative exchanges of information with Steve Burgess aka Budgie who has contributed to this website in addition to Davy Holt Scottish Skate expert. They have offered extremely interesting information regarding the capture of monster fish species.

We had an article in Pike and Predator last month detailing our early captures and Paul Selman has an article concerning our search for Giant freshwater stingray on FW.

We will soon be releasing some footage of our various captures in our video pages and will also be releasing information detailing an extremely exciting capture made by the team this week on the Ban Pakong River.

I will post pictures of the spiracle and method used for securing these predatory giants so that brain surgeons such as the Monk, Wayne Brooks and Az need not waste any of their precious grey matter on trying to imagine such a process.

Many thanks for intelligent comments Nomad, ****y and Alan and many thanks to Christian for alerting me to these uneducated comments concerning our recent captures. I will have limited internet access for the next few days whilst on the Ban Pakong and will awnser any responses when I return. Cheers Alan.

Rick, people will ask questions/make comments if they dont know or are unsure. theres no need to insult them.

Excellent input Rick, thanks for your time and knowledge, and good luck with your studies.

Nice to know they went back alive and to get response about the species and retination method.

"With response to the ludicrous statement made by the Monk "

what a great shame to add this to your response Rick until I read that section I was about to repond witha complement towards your response,believe it or not I`m totally ignorant of the anatomy of the freshwater stingray and if you are sincere in your post, you will apologise for that remark, or is it a case of the ignorant educating the ignorant?

"brain surgeons such as the Monk"

I`ve just read your follow up post, obviously this is personal, I dont know who the hell you are but I would suggested you email me son you are begining to piss me off, not many people achieve that so a big well done.