REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang
A 30 kg (66 lbs) Mekong giant catfish is held down by Thai fishery department officials as they harvest its eggs during a captive breeding programme at the Inland Aquaculture Research Institute in the Bangsai district of Ayutthaya, 80 km (50 miles) outside Bangkok, August 16, 2006. This catfish specie is one of the world's largest freshwater fish -- growing up to 3 metres and 300 kg (660 lbs) -- and is considered critically endangered. It is native to the Mekong region and a range of conservation initiatives for the giant fish is being carried out by the fishery departments of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.