Giant freshwater stingray

This is the most dangerous animal in the freshwater part of FishingHQ and the handling advice is genuinely different in kind: the objective is not to handle it well but to handle it as little as physically possible.

THE WEAPON. A serrated venomous barb on the tail, which on a large individual is a substantial spine capable of penetrating deeply. The tail is flexible and the strike is a whipping motion over the back — which means the danger zone is above and behind the animal, exactly where somebody leaning over to unhook it is standing. Stingray injuries are frequently to the leg, the abdomen or the chest rather than the hand, and they are serious: deep, envenomated, and in the worst cases penetrating.

SO THE PROCEDURE IS FIXED AND IT IS NOT NEGOTIABLE. Never lift one. Never stand over the tail. Never allow the animal onto a boat. Work from the side or from in front, in the water, with the animal kept in the shallows and the tail attended to by somebody whose only job is watching it. Experienced operations for this species restrain the tail specifically before anyone approaches the head.

USE LONG TOOLS AND CUT THE TRACE if there is any doubt. A hook is a much smaller problem than a barb.

IF SOMEBODY IS BARBED: this is a medical emergency, not a first-aid matter. Hot water immersion is the standard field measure for the venom's pain, the wound is likely to retain barb fragments and sheath material, and penetrating trunk injuries need a hospital immediately. Fishing for this species in remote water without a plan for that is the actual risk being taken.

AND THE ANIMAL IS THREATENED. Large individuals are old, the species is in decline across its range, and it should be released with the minimum possible intervention — which happily is the same thing that keeps people safe.

Very slow-growing, late-maturing and long-lived, producing very small numbers of live young. Reproductive output is among the lowest of any large freshwater fish, which is why the species cannot recover quickly from decline.

Viviparous, with the female nourishing a small number of embryos internally and giving birth to live young. Litters are very small and gestation is long, so each adult female matters disproportionately.

Takes bottom-dwelling fish, crustaceans and molluscs from soft river substrate, locating buried prey and pinning it beneath the disc.

Locates prey by electroreception and smell over soft riverbed, since the eyes are on top of the disc and the mouth beneath. Vision plays almost no part in feeding.

Moves within river systems with seasonal water levels, using deep pools in low water. Some populations move into estuarine conditions.

A specialist target in Thailand and neighbouring countries, fished with heavy tackle and bait on the bottom in deep river pools, largely through managed fisheries operating on a strict release basis. Its significance is as one of the largest freshwater fish an angler can encounter and as a serious conservation concern. FishingHQ does not state what any rule is; access, permits and handling requirements vary and must be checked locally.

The barb is the primary hazard and can cause fatal injury. Fish of this size should be handled in the water by people who know the species, with the tail controlled at all times. Never stand over the tail, never attempt to lift the fish by the tail, and keep the ray in water throughout unhooking. Release requires supporting the disc and allowing the fish to swim off under its own power.