Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Giant Mekong Catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) - Uncertain Risk

Species that are considered uncertain risk need a more in-depth assessment beyond the Risk Summary to better define the species’ risk to U.S. environments.

The Mekong Giant Catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) is one of the world’s largest freshwater fish. It is endemic to the Mekong River basin in southern Asia. The population of this species has been decreasing overtime and is now considered critically endangered. Pangasianodon gigas is now protected in their native range and has been banned from international trade by CITES Appendix I. Historically P. gigas was caught for human consumption and was considered one of the most important fish in the areas. Some aquaculture programs have been started to continue to provide the food source. Stocking programs were previously in place to help supplement the wild population but now are mostly used to stock recreational fishing ponds. There is only one record of introduction outside of their native range in Thailand in which the population did not establish, so the history of invasiveness No Known Nonnative Population. The climate match for United States was low for most of the contiguous United States. However, there were areas of medium match in southern Texas and Florida. The climate match was based on a general description of the range of the species and not georeferenced observations. The certainty of assessment is low due to lack of information. The overall risk assessment category for Pangasianodon gigas is Uncertain.